Obituary of Elizabeth Pittman Claiborne

Elizabeth Pittman Claiborne, widow of Alex Claiborne, died on March 22, 2020 at the age of 93 in Brownsville, Tennessee. She was the only child of the late Otho Pittman and Ruth Thornton Pittman, and was called “Libba” by her friends and numerous relatives. She had 21 first cousins. She was born March 8, 1927 in Brownsville, Tennessee. At the age of nine, she joined First United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir for many years and was church librarian. She attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, and was a graduate of Vanderbilt University. After working at the UT-Knoxville Library and the Brownsville-Haywood County Library, she became a school librarian. In the 1960s she set up the first libraries at the old Anderson Grammar School and Haywood Elementary. Later she served as a member and chairman of the local library board. For over forty years Libba was secretary-treasurer of Tabernacle Cemetery, where she will be buried. She leaves her children, Al (Alex, Jr.) and his wife Terry of Winston-Salem, NC, and Robert and his wife Mary Boswell of Towson, MD, and grandchildren Robert, Jr., Eleanor, Alex, Preston, and Rob. She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Alex Claiborne. Private graveside services will be at Tabernacle Cemetery on Thursday, March 26, conducted by Dr. Joe R. Thornton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tabernacle Cemetery Fund, c/o Betsy Thornton, 57 Old Highway 19, Brownsville, TN 38012. Due to restrictions on large gatherings, the family will have a private graveside service. On behalf of the Lea & Simmons Funeral Group, thank you for understanding these limitations as we all work together in these uncertain times.