Lavinia Lee Tomlinson

Lavinia Lee Tomlinson passed away on April 21, 2024 at the age of 88. She was an inspirational patron of the arts, friend to many, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter.

Lavinia was born in Irondale, Alabama, on August 30, 1935, raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, then attended Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, for two years before graduating from the University of Alabama, where she was copy editor for the Crimson White and a member of the Chi Omega sorority. After teaching briefly in Aliceville, Alabama, she married the love of her life, Allen Robert Tomlinson III (Bob), in 1958. Early in their marriage, they lived in Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, settling in Florence, Alabama, in 1960.

Lavinia embraced life in Florence with enthusiasm and affection. Lavinia and Bob were founding members of their beloved church, Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal. She was an active volunteer for the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, a strong supporter of the Shoals Symphony, UNA concert series, Tennessee Valley Art Center, The W. C. Handy Music Festival, and Arts Alive. Whenever there was a thing of beauty in Lavinia’s presence, she would be applauding with delight!

Lavinia was a member of the Sacred Dance Guild and performed liturgical dance locally and all through the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama and beyond for close to fifteen years. She was an avid fan of ballet and modern dance all of her life.

Lavinia loved travel and was fortunate to visit numerous destinations on all continents. She was touring Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 which worried some friends and family members; however, to Lavinia, it was just another fascinating adventure! 

Lavinia was generous to all, exuberant in her beliefs and pursuits, and deeply loving towards all she held dear. 

Lavinia is preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Pete and Willard Stovall Lee, her husband, Bob Tomlinson, her sister, Mary Ellen Zuverink, and her husband, Dave, of Los Gatos, CA, and her brother-in-law, Charles Tomlinson, and his wife, Susanna, of Cherokee, AL. She is survived by sister-in-law, Harriet Hill and her husband, Jim, of Raleigh, NC; daughter, Charlotte Tomlinson of Madison, AL; sons, Robert Tomlinson and his wife, Beatrice, of Cherokee, AL, David Tomlinson and his wife, Leslie, of Florence, AL; granddaughters, Silvia Ruth Wilder, and her husband, Allen, and Eloise Tomlinson and her fiancé, George Battle; grandsons, Ford Tomlinson and Henry Tomlinson, along with many wonderful cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church at 4:30 pm on May 4 with visitation beginning at 3 pm and a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Tennessee Valley Arts Center, or Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. The family wishes to thank with deepest gratitude Lavinia’s excellent caregivers at Mitchell-Hollingsworth Nursing Center and Preferred Hospice in Florence, AL. 

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