Yvonne Tate Morgan
Yvonne Tate Morgan, 75, of Ringgold, Georgia, died Saturday evening, January 14, 2023. She had not been well but was very excited to spend the day with Stephanie, her oldest daughter, but unexpectedly didn’t get that opportunity.
Born in Dunlap, Tennessee, Yvonne was a 1965 graduate of Sequatchie County High School. Upon graduating from the State Beauty College of Chattanooga in 1966, she went to work as a hairdresser at Ralph’s Beauty Salon on Signal Mountain, a job that would lead to a 45-year career in cosmetology.
She married Bill Russell, Jr., and the couple moved to Chickamauga, Georgia where Yvonne established a thriving small business in nearby Burning Bush. When Bill suffered a brain hemorrhage that culminated in a coma and his subsequent death, Yvonne stayed faithfully by his bedside for a year while juggling the demanding responsibilities of her salon and caring for the couple’s two daughters.
Yvonne extended her salon into a very successful business in Burning Bush, The Burning Bush Gifts & Tuxedos, which she had years of working alongside her late husband in the tuxedo business.
Yvonne was well known throughout Catoosa and Walker counties, where she was active in Georgia politics and the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce. She was heavily involved in community work, which led to her being named the 2016 Catoosa County Citizen of the Year and the 2021 Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year. She spearheaded a drive to create the Catoosa County Citizens and Veterans Memorial, and for two decades served as that foundation’s president, ensuring local veterans were honored in annual ceremonies and through road dedications to fallen soldiers and sailors.
After closing her small business, Yvonne served the state of Georgia at the Department of Labor before going to work for former state senator Jeff Mullis at the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority and the Top of Georgia Economic Development Initiative.
Yvonne took great pride in God and country. She was a member of the Women’s Sunday School Class at Burning Bush Baptist Church, as well as several patriotic organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Colonial Dames.
Yvonne was always ready for a good tea party, a fancy dinner, and any event where there would be American flags. She loved flowers, especially roses, and Victorian antiques. She was quick to volunteer for any worthy cause and enjoyed supporting the Republican party.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bill Russell, Jr.; father, Vince Tate; mother, Ida Tate; and one brother, Glenn Tate.
Yvonne is survived by daughters, Stephanie (Robbie) Treadway of Ringgold and Mary Shiver of Hixson; brothers, Martin L. Tate (Linda) of Dunlap and Burnard Tate of Chattanooga; and one sister. She also leaves behind four precious grandchildren, Robert Lewis Treadway III, William Louie Tread-way, and Hannah Shiver.
Yvonne is laid to rest next to her husband, father of her daughters, at Tennessee Georgia Memorial Park in Rossville Georgia.
Yvonne would love for you to consider donating to the Catoosa County Citizens and Veterans Memorial Foundation.
Yvonne loved her friends and memories in Dunlap and she will miss you but can’t wait to see you in eternal Glory one day.
