Obituary of Jean Blackburn Robinson Tipton

Jean Blackburn Robinson Tipton, 102, died May 7, 2016. Mrs. Tipton was a native of Pulaski, TN, daughter of Jean Ballenger and James Knox Blackburn, M.D. She was a lifelong Presbyterian and has been a member of the Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church for over 60 years. She attended Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and received her BA degree from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. After graduation she continued her music studies at Ward Belmont in Nashville. She was a hostess in the Tennessee Pavilion at the first New York World Fair in 1939. During World War II, she worked for Naval Air Transport in San Francisco, CA. During her younger years, she served on the boards of The Mag Day Child Care Center, The Chattanooga Cotton Ball Association, Dumbarton House, the Children’s Home - Chambliss Shelter, The Garden Club of Lookout Mountain, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, and Mary Baldwin College. She was an avid reader and for many years was a member of the Lookout Mountain Reading Club. She was preceded in death by her husband Fred Robinson, Jr., father of her children, and her second husband Jere Taylor Tipton, and also by her brother James Knox Blackburn, Jr. Mrs. Tipton is survived by her two children, Jean Laird Robinson Bowden (Lee C. Jr.) of Nashville, and Fred Knox Robinson (Kathleen) of Lookout Mountain. She is also survived by three granddaughters, Meg Bowden, Kate Robinson, and Grey Robinson, and nephew James Knox Blackburn III, niece Elizabeth Blackburn Rutherford. Her family extends appreciation to her devoted caregivers and friends, especially Shari Pilgrim, Melinda Nix, Donna Busby, Mamie Everett, and Joyce Ivey, and the staff of Hearth Hospice, particularly Lora Baker. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 3:30-5:00PM in the reception room of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church. A graveside service to celebrate her life will be at 10:30 Friday at Forest Hills Cemetery with the Rev. Joe Novenson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bethel Bible Village, at PO Box 729, Hixson, TN 37343; Chambliss Center for Children, 315 Gillespie Road, Chattanooga TN 37411, or a favorite charity. Arrangements are by Wann Funeral Home & Cremation Center, at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo (423) 821-7551. Share your memories at www.wannfuneralhome.com.