Lona Witzel Hightower joined her husband of 72 years, Zeke Hightower, and her only child, James Barry Hightower in Heaven on March 18, 2016.
She also joined her mother, Evelyn Witzel; father, George Witzel; sister, Edna Witzel Reynolds; and brothers, Ray and John Witzel.
She is survived by daughter-in-law, Becky Hightower; granddaughters, Brooke Hightower Pate (Shaun) and Britney Hightower Biehn (Andrew); great-grandchildren, Emma Ruth Pate and Hudson Reace Pate; 1 nephew, Dean Reynolds (Trish) of Englewood, Tennessee; and several great nieces and nephews.
Lona lived into her 100th year and in those 100 years she witnessed many interesting events in the world, and she could tell you in detail about them all.
She was born during WWI. When she was 4, women gained the right to vote. She lived through Prohibition and the Great Depression. She was 25 years old at the start of WWII. She saw the 1st man in space and swore until she died that she had seen real UFO’s.
She lived through 17 different Presidents and could tell you in great detail why she liked or disliked each one.
Lona was classy and had a sense of fashion that rivaled the Royal family. She was witty and always had something funny to say about every situation. She was a member of Sheffield First United Methodist Church.
A graveside service will be held Monday at 10:00 a.m. at Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield and will be officiated by Bill Bedsole.
Pallbearers will be Cecil Sparks, Shaun Pate, Clayton Kelly, Charles Wages, Tom Morrow, and Tommy James.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association.
