Charles Thomas Nottingham (Tom), 91, passed away on 11/10/26 at Huntsville Hospital Madison. Tom was born on 1/10/1935 to Charles B. And Mabel H. Nottingham at the historic Hickam log home in Arcadia, TN. He grew up in that home with his other 6 siblings, John, Sue, Ben, Melda, Richard and Wallen and attended Blountville High School. After school, he joined the Air Force and served 4 years in Europe, mostly in Germany during the rebuilding years after WWII. He began working for Raytheon and Sperry after coming home from the Air Force, and married Mary M. Johnson a short time later. They both followed job opportunities in Huntsville, AL during the Space Race, then in the late 70’s moved back to Bristol in East Tennessee to run a convenience store. By the late 80’s they wanted to return to the Huntsville area, so he found 16 acres with ponds and a barn and built his ideal home to semi-retire. After flipping homes for a couple of years, he purchased a small restaurant on North Parkway in Huntsville and rebranded it Smokey’s BBQ (in honor of the University of Tennessee’s mascot, Smokey the blue-tick hound). His son Derrick joined him to co-manage Smokey’s, and together they moved to Madison, AL after establishing a loyal clientele and continued until 2021. Tom enjoyed growing a garden, bowling, and fishing. He was known for having a clever, dry sense of humor, and he always made everyone who knew him feel warm and welcome.
Tom is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Nottingham, his son Derrick Nottingham and wife Kimberly Nottingham, his grandsons Charles and Aaron, and his great-grandson Noah. He is preceded in death by his sister Sue Hyman, brother John Nottingham, and his parents Charles and Mable Nottingham.
A celebration of life for Tom will be held at a later date at the home of his son, Derrick.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Arcadia Methodist Church, 3954 Bloomingdale Road, Kingsport, TN 37660.
