Effie "Nana" Marion

Effie Leomie Ellison Marion, affectionately known as Nana, of Bryant, AL, peacefully passed away on January 29, 2025, at the remarkable age of 92. Born on April 15, 1932, in the 15th District of Cocke County in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee, she was the beloved daughter of Clark and Maggie Ellison. 

A funeral service to honor the life and legacy of Effie will be held on Friday, January 31, 2025 at 6:00 PM ET in the Bryant Chapel of Moore Funeral Home. Brother Steve Townson will officiate. The family will receive friends and loved ones at the funeral home on Friday, January 31, 2025 from 2:00 PM ET until the service hour. She will be laid to rest at Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Effie married Virgil Marion in 1950, lived in Knox County as well as Chattanooga, Tennessee, and eventually settled in the Bryant community in the early 1970s. She dutifully raised her 5 sons, was an avid gardener and exceptional cook, and even built a career as a nurse. She was truly a wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. Effie was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Bryant. She was the go-to person for any person in the community who had an ailment. Later in life, Effie became an EMT for Bryant Rescue Squad, assisted in developing various community resources including various health clinics, the Ruritan Club, a Senior Center and then trained to be a nurse working in area hospitals and clinics. She also volunteered with various organizations across the country. Moreover, her home was a haven for many children, as she generously offered babysitting services throughout the years.

Left to cherish her memory are her sons, Warren (Sherry), Ernie, Eddie, and Kennedy Marion; her sisters, Imogene Turner, Betty Willis, Francis Walker and Hope McCain; granddaughters, Katie (Grady) Brown, Rebecca Marion, and Nova Marion; grandsons, Adam Marion and Andrew Edwards; great-granddaughters, Rileigh, Teagan, Aila, Iris, Kali, Annie and Hattie, great-great-grandchildren, Norah and Tate, nieces and nephews. Additionally, she is survived by all the children that she had the honor to keep over the years as well as countless friends throughout the Bryant community. 

In addition to her parents, Effie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Virgil, and her children, Dana and Sandra Jean Marion, along with her brothers Ted, Royal, Charles, and Leon Ellison, and sisters Irene Williams, Shirley Willis, and Edith Greenwald.

Effie's life was a testament to love, care, and unwavering commitment to her family and community. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.