Lydia Pearl McDuffie

Lydia McDuffie, age 90, passed away peacefully in her home on Tuesday, September,12, 2023. 

Lydia Pearl Lowery McDuffie was born in Franklin, Kentucky on July 26, 1933.  She was the daughter of Orbery and Myrtle Lowery and the last surviving sibling of eight children. She and her family moved to Robertson County at age seven and grew up in Cross Plains, Tennessee.

Lydia’s obedient heart felt the call to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord as a child and her hope was placed in His hands for eternity. 

  She married her handsome United States Air Force Serviceman, Julius McDuffie, from North Carolina on November 22, 1952 and had three sons.  They moved to Hendersonville and joined their beloved church family, First Baptist Church Hendersonville, in 1964 where she served with joy in several capacities and was a faithful member of the Barbara Ward Sunday School Class. These ladies were dear friends and like sisters to her.

Lydia made family and homemaking her priority.  She was a woman of strong faith and enjoyed making a warm and welcoming home as an offering unto the Lord. She and her siblings lovingly cared for their aging parents while her sons were young. 

After her sons were grown, she worked at Opryland Theme Park in Special Events and later in the Mail Room. She especially enjoyed those twenty plus years and the deep friendships that were made there. 

In addition to her parents and siblings, Lydia was preceded in death by her husband, Julius, in 2008 who she lovingly called MacDuff. They enjoyed 56 years of wonderful married life.

She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Steve and Debbie McDuffie, Dennis and Debbie McDuffie, and Tony and Bari McDuffie; and by her grandchildren, Steve McDuffie, Jr. (Erin), Ryan McDuffie (Lindsey), Lauren McDuffie, Adam McDuffie (Chanel), Jenny McDuffie, David McDuffie, and Jeremy McDuffie.  She had great pride in all of her family members and her three great-grandchildren, Brylee, Emery, and Cade McDuffie. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Betty Lowery, and her very dear friends, Gwen and Harold Kuhn.  She is also preceded in death by her very close friend, Chris Harris.

She was a delight to those who knew her and loved that her family all called her “Granny.”

Special appreciation from the family to the staff and friends at NHC Place Sumner in Gallatin, Tennessee, for their support and care during her almost four years of residency.

Funeral Services will be conducted on Friday, September 22, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. from the Chapel at First Baptist Church Hendersonville with Pastor Jeff Lake officiating. Interment will follow in Hendersonville Memory Gardens where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband. Her grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Visitation with the family will be on Thursday from 5:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Sumner Funeral & Cremation Lakeside and Friday from one hour prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Backpack Ministry of First Baptist Church, which feeds children throughout Sumner County. First Baptist Church,106 Bluegrass Commons, Hendersonville Tennessee, 37075.

Arrangements Entrusted to: Sumner Funeral & Cremation Lakeside, Hendersonville (615) 822-4442 www.sumnerfuneral.com Proud to be family owned and operated.