Brandy Louise Ritchie

Brandy Yates Ritchie, 37, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, passed away on Friday, October 2, 2026, at a Johnson City hospital following a sudden illness.

The beauty and glory of life on earth are momentary. Each new life is like a flower of the field; the glory fades and the flower falls. Yet the memory of a life remains through the cherished imprints left upon the hearts of those who loved us.

Brandy's family feels blessed to have shared in her short season of life. Though her time here was far too brief, the greatest part of her legacy remains in the beautiful petals that will continue to bloom: her precious children, whom she loved dearly.

Brandy was born on February 2, 1989, in Dresden, Tennessee, the daughter of John Yates. She spent her childhood with her adoptive mother and grandmother, Delores Yates, and her adoptive father and grandfather, Henry Yates, in the Big A Mountain community of Honaker, Virginia. She also spent part of her childhood with her dad, John Yates, and bonus mom, Lisa Yates, in Rosedale, Virginia.

In 2008, at the age of 19, Brandy moved to Tennessee and had made the Jonesborough area her home for the past eight years.

Brandy was preceded in death by her adoptive mother and grandmother, Delores Yates, of Elizabethton, Tennessee; grandfather, Berkley Stevens Jr., of the Combs Ridge community of Council, Virginia; paternal great-grandparents, Rev. Homer and Blanche Wilson, of the Big A Mountain community of Honaker, Virginia; and John Henry and Goldie Yates, of the Combs Ridge community of Council, Virginia.

Left to cherish Brandy's memory are her husband, Dustin Ritchie, of Jonesborough; her beloved children, Zoey Arabella Watts, Theodore Henry Ritchie, and Novalee Izobel Ritchie, all of the home; bonus children, Gracie Jo Ritchie and Sabian Wade "Scooter" Engle; dad and bonus mom, John and Lisa Yates, of Piney Flats; adoptive father and grandfather, Henry Yates, of Elizabethton; bonus grandmother, Pearlene Stevens, of the Combs Ridge community of Council, Virginia; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Darrell and Tammy Ritchie, of Honaker; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jonathan and Alyssa Ritchie, of Honaker; half-brother, Jeremy Corum, of Dresden; aunts, Angela Teresa Yates Haga, of Bristol, Tennessee, and Reba Yates Dunlap and husband Randy, of Elizabethton; and cousins, Amanda Haga, of Bristol, Randa Dunlap, of Elizabethton, and Amber Haga, of Knoxville.

Brandy's life may have been a short season, but the love she gave and the lives she touched will remain. Her memory will continue through her family, and most especially through her children, the beautiful and precious legacy she leaves behind.

Family and friends are invited to gather for a Celebration of Life for Brandy at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Tri-Cities Church of God, 238 Jonesboro Road, Piney Flats, Tennessee 37686.

Trinity Memorial Centers Funeral Home (423-723-8177) is honored to serve the family, online condolences can be shared with the family on our website at www.trinitymemorialcenters.com.