Jessie Lee (Creekmore) Baird

Jessie Lee (Creekmore) Baird, age 87, of Jellico, Tennessee, passed away early Tuesday morning, January 30, 2024, at Baptist Health Corbin.
She was born on September 15, 1936, to the late E.H. “Dick” Creekmore, Sr. and Elizabeth “Lib” (Wilson) Creekmore in Jellico.
Her paternal grandparents were the late Sylvester “Ves” Creekmore and Jessie (Hollingsworth) Creekmore. Her maternal grandparents were the late James Taylor Wilson and Elizabeth (Griffith) Wilson.
She was a graduate of Jellico High School – Class of 1954. She was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Jellico.
Jessie was a well-known public figure in the Jellico area who worked at several of the family’s businesses throughout the years.
She had a delightful demeanor and an impeccable sense of style. She was a classy lady who also had a wonderful sense of humor. She was a much beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt and friend.
Creekmore & Son Supermarkets were founded by her grandfather, and subsequently owned by her parents, before being purchased by Jessie, and her late husband, Sterling.
She also was co-owner of American Home Furnishings where she was the manager for many years. Later, she managed Gregory’s Family Tree Restaurant, which was owned by her son, Greg, where she welcomed both locals and tourists into the restaurant as though it were her own home.
In addition to her parents and grandparents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Sterling Baird; five aunts, Hazel (Creekmore) Ellis, and husband, Carl, Georgie (Creekmore) “Ms. George” Adkins, and husband, Ben, Thelma (Wilson) Llewellyn, and husband, Morgan, Christine (Wilson) Adkins, and husband, Boyd, and Lillian (Wilson) Archer, and husband, George; two uncles, T.J. Wilson, and wife Billie Jean, and George Wilson; two nieces, Stacey (Creekmore) Paulsen and Ashley (Creekmore) Oakes; three brothers-in-law, Robert D. Cox, J.C. “Budgie” Baird, and wife, Wilma, and Millard Baird, and wife, Bobbie; two sisters-in-law, Grace (Baird) Sexton, and husband, Willard, and Lola (Baird) Bridges, and husband, Virgil; first-cousins, Frannie Ellis, Frank Adkins, Sandra Hatcher, and George Archer, Jr. and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Walter Baird and Ella (Blankenship) Baird.
She is survived by her loving daughter, Terri Lee (Baird) Ward, and husband, Mike, of Jellico, and beloved son, S. Gregory Baird, of Knoxville, TN; sister, Elizabeth Lynn (Creekmore) Cox, of Knoxville, and brother, E.H. “Dick” Creekmore, Jr., and wife, Helen, of Knoxville; nieces and nephews, Teresa (Cox) Burns, and husband, Pat, of Knoxville, Dick Howard Creekmore, and wife, Kelli, of Nolensville, TN, Jerome Baird, of St. James City, Florida, Johnny Baird, and wife, Connie, of Jellico, Jewel Baird, of Andersonville, TN, Jada Walden, of Mtn. Ash, KY, Deborah (Sexton) Freeman, and husband, Roger, of Knoxville, Bobbie Sue (Bridges) Shoun, and husband, Steve, of Maryville, TN, Robert Baird, and wife, Patti, of Clinton, TN, and Margaret Ann Williams, and husband, John, of Clinton; nephews-in-law, Derek Paulsen, of Lexington, KY and Bill Oakes, of Knoxville.
She is also survived by great-nieces and great-nephews, Patton Burns, and wife, Carley, Robert Burns, and Elizabeth Burns, all of Knoxville, Brue Paulsen, of Charleston, South Carolina, and Griffith Paulsen, of Lexington, KY, and Mary Elizabeth Oakes and Hutson Oakes, both of Knoxville, Ves Creekmore and Cole Creekmore, both of Nolensville, TN, Chris Baird, of Jellico, Patrick Baird, of Nashville, Aimee Morales, of Maryville, TN, Derek Shoun, of Maryville, TN, Eric Freeman, of Cleveland, Ohio, Kristen Freeman, and Justin Freeman, both of Maryville, and Andrea Baird, of Nashville; aunt, Jenny (Culver) Wilson, of Oak Ridge, TN; first cousins, Mike Ellis, and wife, Sandra, and David Ellis, all of Longwood, Florida; Phyllis (Llewellyn) Lay and JoAnne (Llewellyn) Watts, both of Jellico, Rev. Mahan Archer, and wife, Laura, of Knoxville, Ben Adkins, and wife, Donna, of Oak Ridge, TN, Libby Sharp, and Earl Sharp, of Knoxville, Annette Ross, of Kingston, TN, Barbara Baird, of Frankfort, KY, James Austin Wilson, and wife, Donna, of Oak Ridge, TN, Tommy Wilson, of Oak Ridge, Elizabeth Ann Hobbs, of Brentwood, TN, Julia Ellison, of Memphis, TN, and Jaye (Ellison) Wolfe, of Knoxville; the management, staff and friends at Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center and a host of neighbors, other friends and relatives to mourn her passing.
The funeral service was Saturday afternoon, February 3, at the First Baptist Church of Jellico with Dr. Bob Dunston officiating.
Special music was provided by Dr. Jeff Smoak.
Graveside service and interment followed in the Jellico Cemetery.
Cox & Son Funeral home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.