Jessica Tierney McCausland

Jessica “Jessi” Tierney McCausland went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on October 17, 2020 with her mother and fiance by her side. Jessi will be sadly missed by family, friends, and colleagues. Most recently, Jessica resided in Groveland, California but she lived most of her life in Maryville, Tennessee. She was born in Urbana, Illinois where she resided until age five when her family relocated to East Tennessee. Jessica graduated from Pellissippi State Community College in 2012 where she was a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member and graduated summa cum laude. Jessica graduated from Johnson University, Knoxville TN, in 2015 summa cum laude, and received a Master of Arts from Appalachian State University, Boone, NC in 2017. Jessica won the Outstanding Thesis Award in April 2018 at ASU for her research entitled “Interpreting Elkmont Historic District: A Case on Historic Preservation in the NPS.” Jessica held a strong Christian faith and she loved her family, fiance, and friends. She truly enjoyed music, art, making homemade gifts for others, baking, history, historic preservation, genealogy, nature, animals and wild-life. She devotedly worked for the US National Park Service having served at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, and Mammoth Cave National Park. During the 2019-2020 school year, Jessica was a history teacher (grades 6-12) at Xceed Preparatory Academy in Florida. Jessica was a beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, fiancee, and precious friend. She is survived by her parents David and Linda McCausland, sister Rachel McCausland, and half-siblings Patience (McCausland) Murphy (Tim), Heather Nourse-McCausland (Bill), and Joshua McCausland. Jessica is survived by her beloved fiance Joseph Kahrnoff with whom she had many grand adventures during the last five years and with whom she truly desired to spend the remainder of her life. Jessica was preceded in death by her grandparents David and Delores McCausland, Henrietta Reeter and E. Wayne Reeter, Sr., as well as her Aunt Laura Gordon McCausland. Jessica’s legacy will always be her Christian kindness, genuine caring, personal integrity, hard-working spirit, and true love she demonstrated to everyone. Jessica loved children and enjoyed sharing nature with them during her work as a Park Ranger and Guide. Jessica especially enjoyed her time at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and her work with the Synchronous Firefly events. She had served as a pre-school Sunday School Teacher at Broadway UMC, assisted with American Heritage Girls scout troop after high school graduation, and served four-years as a Junior Volunteer at Blount Memorial Hospital. Family will receive friends at Smithview Pavilion, 601 Smithview Drive, Maryville, TN 37803 from 10:30-Noon on Sunday, November 1, 2020 with the funeral at 1:00 p.m. to be officiated by Pastor Ron Fisher of Broadway United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN with the eulogy by Professor Jason Mead, Johnson University. Jessica will be laid to rest at 3:00 PM, Sunday, November 1, 2020 at Middlesettlements United Methodist Cemetery. Smith Funeral and Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Jessica Tierney McCausland please visit our Sympathy Store.