Reba Earlene Large

Reba Earlene (Ball) Large was the oldest daughter of 9 children born to Greely Emmett and Mary Horner Ball on July 26, 1927, in Jefferson County, TN. She married the love of her life, Leonard R Large on June 17, 1946, and they raised 8 children together before his passing in 1990. Today, they are finally reunited again along with sons Larry, Albert & Randy Large. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Mary (Horner) and Emmett Ball Sr; sister, Ruby McCoig; and brothers, Marvin, Robert, Emmett Jr, Jay, Tom, Charles and Johnny. 

Reba passed away on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 but over the last couple of months, her loved ones got special one on one time with her that can never be replaced where she got to catch up on our lives and insert some wisdom or fun story from her life in the process. One of her favorite times was Sundays with her son-in-law Reb where they talked about all kinds of secrets that we will never know. Reb had the honor of being with her to hear those final secrets before she passed. 

Known as Mama Large to so many kids across East Tennessee, she always made everyone feel loved and left them with a bit of wisdom whether it was gardening tips, Farmer’s Almanac coaching or sewing & embroidery. Her legendary cat head biscuits & gravy are like no others. 

On her recent 97th birthday, many asked her the secrets to her longevity. She very quickly stated the following: no liquor, clean eating, hardworking, time with family and most importantly, loving the Lord. Great words of wisdom for each of us to take with us!

Growing up in a time where girls were told to rock the cradle versus pursuing more education, Reba always made sure her loved ones knew the importance of learning, reading and getting an education. From her letter to the superintendent to get a school bus for the White Pine kids to get to their school, moving with Leonard 58 times and never letting one child miss a day of school in the process, as well as keeping the latest set of World Book Encyclopedia’s in the house for homework, she made sure learning something was part of our daily lives. Her love of reading has been passed down through all generations of our family. 

Being a hard worker is another key to Reba’s longevity. Working on the farm with her family growing up and taking in ironing were just some of the ways she helped make ends meet for her family over the years. She spent most of her outside the home working career years as a waitress in downtown and north Knoxville at Louis, Arthurs and Harold’s Kosher Deli. Building relationships with those regular customers brought her such joy and we often heard stories about those days. 

Another thing that Reba was passionate about was voting rights as she was born not long after women were allowed to vote. Many an 18-year-old were passed a voters registration form with their birthday card or meal ticket at the restaurant as she kept extras in her purse for those opportunities. She loved going on election day to cast her vote! 

Survived by many loved ones including her children: Shirley Bell; Patsy (Butch) Solomon; Kathy (Reb) Croft; Rita (Chris) Lewis; Regina (Gene) Harmon; her grandchildren; Josh Shadrick, Gabe (Vanessa) Large; Jarad (Lindsay) Large; Nate (Ashley) Croft; Jake (Megan) Croft; Megan Large; Tasha Solomon; Luke Lewis; and her great grandchildren: Emily Large; Hailey Large; Xavier Large; Javier Large; Audrey Covert; Bella Hawk; Khloe Irons; Mack Croft; Meli Croft; Joshua Shadrick; Ben Croft; Henry Croft; Maggie Croft and Maverick Irons. Several nieces, nephews, cousins, sisters-in-law and special bonus daughters, Flora Mae Dills, Kathy Covington & Lisa Picatelli. 

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, 2:00pm in French Broad Community Church, with Rev. Justin Breeden officiating. Interment Service will follow in the church cemetery. Family will receive friends between the hours of 1:00pm and 2:00pm prior to the service at the church.