Patricia Annise “Patty” (Arnold) Centers, 79, of Knoxville
Patricia Annise “Patty” (Arnold) Centers, age 79, of Knoxville, Tennessee, formerly of Jellico, Tennessee, passed away on Thursday morning, October 29, 2026, at NHC Healthcare Fort Sanders in Knoxville, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on April 28, 1947, to the late James E. Arnold, Sr. and Mabel Ruth (Hill) Arnold, in Jellico.
She was a graduate of Jellico High School – Class of 1965. She was also a graduate of Cumberland College where she earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Soon thereafter, Patty met and married the love of her life, Sam Centers, on December 1, 1972. Both became schoolteachers and were thereafter affectionately known to countless students as “Mr. Centers” and “Mrs. Centers.” Mrs. Centers was employed in the Campbell County School System for more than 30 years. She taught at both of Jellico’s public schools – Jellico Elementary School and Jellico High School – until her retirement in 2004.She was also a life-long member of the First Baptist Church of Jellico.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Earl Centers and Mary Jane (Williams) Centers; her step mother-in-law, Artie (Adkins) Centers; sister-in-law, Pam (Centers) Coker; two step brothers-in-law, Verlin Perkins and Johnny Slusher; and nephew, Timothy Coker.
She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Samuel Reed Centers, of Knoxville; son, Richard Centers, of Knoxville; daughter, Paula (Centers) Frye, and husband, Ryan, of Frisco, Texas; step-grandchildren, Hannah Frye and Kellan Frye, of Madison, South Dakota; brother, James E. “Jimmy” Arnold, Jr., and wife, Laura, of Jellico, two nephews, Steven D. Jeffers, of Fairfield, Ohio, and Jerome E. Arnold, and wife, Stacy, of Knoxville, TN; great-nephew, August Arnold, and great-niece, Willow Arnold. Patty is also survived by four sisters-in-law, Polly (Centers) King, and husband, Charles, of Kingwood, TX, Betty Jane (Centers) Brock, and husband Lee, of Pineville, KY; Donna Ruth (Centers) Slusher, of Hulen, KY, and Jennifer (Centers) Graham, and husband, Jerry, of Somerset, KY; step sister-in-law, Anna Lawson, of Williamsburg, KY; and a host of friends, neighbors, former students and colleagues, and other relatives to mourn her passing.
The family will receive friends for visitation on Monday morning, November 2, 2026, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Jellico.
