Robert Paxton

Mr. Robert Paxton, age 89 of Lancing, passed away Friday September 4, 2026, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge. Robert was born July 5, 1937, the youngest of six children born to William and Lona Paxton. His family had settled on a tract of land in rural Morgan County before his birth. On and around that same piece of Tennessee ground, Robert would spend most of his 89 years. There, he grew from a boy into a husband and father; he worked, raised eight children, watched the others grow, planted gardens, repaired cars, and eventually became Poppy.

To his children and grandchildren, Robert was the strongest man in our lives. His hands were broad, thick-skinned and extraordinarily strong, shaped by decades of manual labor, farming, cutting wood, turning wrenches and constant mechanical tinkering. Even late in life, when the rest of his body had grown frail, Poppy’s hands somehow still felt like stone.

While Robert had little formal education, he had a sharp wit, a remarkable mind for numbers, and an unmatched understanding of machinery. As a young man, Robert met Lillian Ruth Miller, who had been born only days apart and a few miles away from him. They met as teenagers. One day, Lillian was walking home along a country road while Robert was plowing an adjacent field with a particularly stubborn mule. Just as she drew near, Robert shouted at the animal, “Get on over the hill, y’old bitch.” Naturally, Lillian assumed he was talking to her and stormed across the field to give him a piece of her mind. The rest, as we say, was history.

Robert and Lillian married on July 28, 1956, and spent nearly six decades together. Over twenty-five years they welcomed eight children: Janet, Jeff, Kathy, Carol, Annie, Greg, Anitra and Jeremy. Their family eventually grew to a family tree considerably larger than either of them could have imagined when that young woman first crossed a field toward a boy and his mule.

In the early years of their marriage, Robert worked wherever he could to support his growing family. He tended orange groves in Florida and worked in a canning factory in Michigan. In 1961, at two years of age, Robert and Lillian’s daughter Kathy died unexpectedly. After Kathy’s death, being far from his family became harder to bear. Robert eventually stayed close to home and spent many years working for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Robert loved the land. Every year, Poppy planted a vegetable garden large enough to feed half the county. Of everything he grew, he especially loved tomatoes. For his grandchildren, summertime at Grams and Poppy’s became the setting for some of their happiest childhood memories. He loved machines almost as much as gardening. A skilled mechanic, Robert particularly enjoyed restoring old Chevrolets. His garage was hardly what anyone would call organized, but Poppy always seemed to know where everything was and what to do with it.

Robert was stubborn, intensely private, famously hard of hearing, and possessed of a wonderful, playful sense of humor. Visitors often heard his television before they reached the front door. In his home, an ancient wall-mounted air conditioner was almost never used, while the wood and gas stoves received considerably more attention. If the temperature threatened to dip below 70 degrees, there was a good chance Poppy already had a fire roaring.

He was made of extraordinarily tough stock, but he had a softer side, although he did not always show it. He had a particular fondness for animals and was rarely without a dog. Among his grandchildren, he shared an especially close bond with Ethan Hancock, who followed Poppy around almost from the moment he learned to walk and, in later years, stayed close by his side. When Lillian passed away in 2015, she took part of Robert with her. Even so, Robert lived on. There were gardens still to plant, machines still to tinker with, dogs and cats to spoil, children and grandchildren to tease, Westerns to watch (at extraordinary volume), and fires to build.

He survived cancer and, in later years, one serious health scare after another. Again and again, even when his family feared they might lose him, he somehow bounced back. For a long time, it began to seem as though he always would. Eventually, at 89 years old, there simply wasn’t enough gas left in the tank. At the end of his life, Poppy wanted to go home. Although he could not make that final journey from the hospital, home had never really left him. It was the foundation of his 89 years, the place where he and Lillian made their life, and the place from which an extraordinary family grew. The hospital had his final days. The hills of Morgan County had his life.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years: Lillian Ruth Miller Paxton.

One daughter: Kathy Paxton.

And one son-in-law: Micah Hancock.

He is survived by his children: Janet Paxton of Oak Ridge, Jeff and Deane Paxton of Strawberry Plains, Carol and Ronnie Diden of Wartburg, Annie and Ray Gardner of Oak Ridge, Greg and Jane Paxton of Benton, Anitra Hancock of Lancing, and Jeremy and Jessica Paxton of Farragut.

His 18 grandchildren: Rob, Amanda, Jake, Connie, Jason, Joni, Dusty, Kayla, Chelsea, Katherine, Will, Jared, Nathaniel, Ethan, Joe, Abby, Eli, and Lily; his 25 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great granddaughter.

His sister: Mona Grace Wilks of Lancing, along with a host of nieces, nephews, and other family, friends and loved ones.

The family will receive friends Monday September 7, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Davis Funeral Home, Wartburg. Funeral services will follow at 7:00 PM with Rev. Ralph Nance officiating. Graveside services will be held Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM in Kubley Cemetery in Lancing.

Condolences may be sent to the family at, www.davisfuneralhomes.com

Davis Funeral Home, Wartburg is honored to serve the family of Mr. Robert Paxton during this time.