GRAY - Elijah Edward Heaton, 88, of Gray, Tennessee, went to be with Jesus on December 20, 2020 after a brief but valiant battle with COVID-19. His strong faith in God brings us peace and comfort in this time of loss.
âEdâ was the son of the late Lige and Hazel Heaton of Roan Mountain TN. He graduated from Cloudland High School and served his country with honor in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army. He then returned to Roan Mountain to run the family business, E. F. Heaton Hardware. In 1966 he moved his family to Charlotte NC where he began a career in trucking with Overnite Transportation Company. In 1972 they moved to Gray TN and he lived in that house until 2020. Ed was proud of his career at Overnite Transportation and enjoyed many great retirement years. Although Ed had moved away from Roan Mountain, his love for the mountains endured. One of the greatest pleasures for him was simply visiting that little community a few times per year.