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- JOHNSON CITY - The Rev. Joseph Vance Eastridge passed away on Oct. 13, 2022, in Johnson City, TN. He was greeted in Heaven with a hug from his first wife, Marian, a new joke from his brother, Roby and the lovely voice of his sister, Gladys.
Vance was born Jan. 13, 1927, in his Grandmother’s home in Ashe Co., NC to the late Roby Julius & Lillian Osborne Eastridge. He grew up in Teas & Marion, VA, before moving to Mountain City, TN and graduating from Johnson County High School. He received his degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Answering the call to the ministry, he earned his Master of Ministry Degree from Emory’s Candler School of Theology.
Vance entered the ministry as associate pastor at Church Street Methodist in Knoxville where he fell in love and married his wife, Marian Wilson. As a student at Candler, he served as pastor in Rome, GA and founded St. Mary’s of the Hills Methodist Church in Columbus, GA. Vance was ordained a minister in the Methodist Church (later the United Methodist Church) in 1960. He served as a Senior Pastor for 40 years at churches in St. Paul (VA), Knoxville, Friendsville, Dayton, Ooltewah, Madisonville, Gatlinburg, Karns, Rockwood, Chattanooga, & Johnson City (TN). After the death of his wife Marian, he fell in love again and married Carlene Bradley at First UMC in Johnson City. He went on to serve churches in Oak Ridge, Newport and Richlands (VA). Retiring in 1994, he & his family attended Munsey United Methodist where he taught the Virgil Anderson Sunday School Class for 16 yrs.
During his ministry, Vance served on a number of boards and committees of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church including the Board of Trustees of the Conference Colleges, Conference Board of Trustees and the Holston Conference Camping Ministries.
In addition to his parents, Vance was preceded in death by his sisters, Virginia Bennington, Izella Osborne, Ozella Vines, Stella Maude Counts, and Gladys Hill Yarbrough; his brothers, Ernest, Homer and Roby Harold Eastridge; his first wife, Marian Wilson Eastridge and daughter-in-law, Nancy Collins Eastridge.
Vance was a wonderful husband, daddy, granddaddy, and great-granddaddy. He loved hiking in the mountains, landscape gardening and being with his family. He was known for his excellence in writing, preaching and teaching, and he loved sharing God’s word as a minister in the United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Carlene Bradley Eastridge; his sons, Wesley Eastridge (Joy), Michael Eastridge (Angie) and Bradley Eastridge; his daughter, Karen E. Short (Chuck); his grandchildren, Sam Eastridge, Caitlin Maxey, Hannah O’Hamill, Chrissy Idlette, Amanda Lawrenson, Tim Eastridge, Ben Phillips, Blake Browning, and Emorie Browning; he is also survived by 13 great-grandchildren.
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1927 - 2022 (95 years)
