Alice Fay Ketner, 72, of Commerce passed away early Friday morning September 22, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was born to Elisha Duncan Tate and Janice Lucille Martin Tate in South Pittsburg, Tennessee on November 4, 1950. It was a glorious day. Alice and her family moved to Texas. Alice married Mike Ketner of Commerce in Las Vegas on September 1, 1997.
Alice attended public schools in Cooper and Commerce. She left school in the tenth grade. She began working at the age of ten washing dishes in Evans restaurant in Commerce. From there she worked at a sewing factory and at SNE (formerly American Wood) door factory in Commerce. Upon SNE closing in 2000, she went to work at Covidien where she retired in 2012. She also sewed for the public and sewed parachutes for skydivers.
Alice loved to cook and especially liked cooking sweets, candy, and pies. She was well-known as a terrific cook. Her likes were the color red, birds, hummingbirds, and pugs.
She began having medical issues around 2015 or so. On June 7, 2023 she was directed by her kidney doctor to go to the Greenville emergency room immediately for admission to the hospital. Alice stayed in the hospital for 49 days. While in the hospital, she made many friends. Her diagnosis was end-stage renal failure. She had no kidney function or liver function. She was informed of her options on Sunday, July 23, 2023. On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 she was released from the hospital. She had opted to go home and await the end.
Alice is survived by her husband Mike Ketner, sisters: Dorothy Carroll and Vickie Hilton; brother David Tate; children raised from a previous marriage: Richard Jones, Merle Tucker, Mary Jane Belcher and Harold “Bubba” Jones; mother to: Tony Ketner, Kimberly Miller and Crystal Graham. She is also survived by several grandchildren and friends.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 2:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M. at Jones-Walker & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service will follow at 3:00 P.M. with Bro. Terry Holley officiating. Burial will follow at Sonora Cemetery in Fairlie.
Pallbearers will be Duncan Anderson, Tommy Anderson, Casey Petty, Brandon Petty, Tony Ketner, Lewis Taylor, Chris Miller and Blake Petty. Honorary pallbearers are David Tate, Bubba Jones, and Jerry Petty.
