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Anna C. Irwin, an iconic figure in Blount County journalism, died Thursday at Blount Memorial Hospital at age 64.

She succumbed to a short bout with a quick-moving cancer.

During her 30-year tenure at The Daily Times, she rose to rule over the police beat, the court beat, and even served as medical reporter and photo editor. For Anna C. Irwin, those 30 years weren’t about just doing a job; they were a tour of duty.

She won many awards, including the Malcolm Law Award for Investigative Reporting. She sometimes shared awards with other reporters she worked together with on a story or a series. She always stepped back to let others bask in the glory.

But everyone knew who put the backbone in those words people counted on when they wanted to know what was happening in Blount County.

She cared about people. She cared about animals. She cared about her community.

When she reported a story she served it straight up. With Anna C. Irwin, what you read was unembellished prose. If it was relevant, it was in the story. If it wasn’t, it never made newsprint.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Smith Mortuary.

One thing for sure about Anna C. Irwin, she was connected to this community.

Here’s what a few of the people she worked with on a daily basis had to say after hearing of her death:

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong

“Anna was a true friend. She was a friend of law enforcement and the community. She did her job as a professional. She was unbiased. She was an asset to The Daily Times, the community and law enforcement. She will be sadly missed by all — including me.”

Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp

“I’ve known Anna for probably over 30 years. Certainly a fine journalist. She was one of those people who had a reputation in the law enforcement community where you knew she was trustworthy.

“She was a true journalist in the way that she reported the news and she reported it unbiased. She was just a person of great character. I know she’ll be sorely missed. She had a wealth of knowledge about our community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, The Daily Times staff and everybody who knew and loved her in this community.”

Blount County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Marian O’Briant

“I could write a book about Anna. She has been a dear friend for so many years, but more than that, she was like the mother that I never had. She was beat partner, my friend, and my confidant. Everyone who knew her loved her. I will miss her dearly.”
Blount Memorial Hospital Assistant Administrator Jane Nelson

“We have always felt that Anna has been part of Blount Memorial. She almost never missed a board meeting and was ever present to report special events. She has always been a professional in all endeavors, but most of all we will remember Anna for being a dear person and friend, as well as the consummate professional reporter. We will miss her dearly.”

Blount Memorial Hospital Administrator Joe Dawson

Jane Nelson said he was out of town, but he wanted to express his condolences and sympathy to both her family and her newspaper family. “I thought highly of Anna. She was always diligent and faithful in her attendance in our board meetings and events. She is a fine individual. We thought highly of her and we will feel her loss for a long time.”

Blount County General Sessions Court Judge Mike Gallegos

“Over the years I dealt with Anna both as a prosecutor and now as a general sessions judge. She was always unfailingly professional, honorable, honest and always a joy to deal with and be with. Her presence in the courthouse will be greatly missed.”

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper John Pedigo

“The community of Blount County has lost a great individual and she will be greatly missed by all. She has touched many lives in Blount County.”

State Rep. Doug Overbey

“To me, Anna had a big heart and a deep concern for people, especially those who couldn’t help themselves. She just had a big caring heart. She will be missed.”

Maryville Fire Department Chief Ed Mitchell

“We’ve all lost a real, real dear friend. The Daily Times lost a reporter that I think showed what integrity and respect was in reporting. We lost somebody we cared about and knew cared about us.

“She had such a passion for reporting, and it showed. She seemed to be one of us. She was one of us, really. Her integrity was unimpeachable as a reporter. I never felt uncomfortable talking to Anna. She was always there for us; she was in our corner. Anna was one of us. Now she’s gone, and its like we’ve lost one of our own.”

Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham

“I’ve known her since the sixth grade. We took dance lessons together, and she was my partner. Anna was great. I wasn’t. She used to limp because I would step on her feet.

“One of the things that sticks with me best was when she said, ‘I view my job as a gatherer of facts. My job is to put the facts out there for the public to read in a truthful matter. And when I put facts out there for the public to read, they should not be able to discern if I have any personal bias or opinion. Just the facts.’

“I thought that was a wonderful comment on the way she viewed her profession. In all of my years, I never heard one negative thing said about Anna Irwin. I loved Anna Irwin as a friend. My wife loved Anna Irwin.”

Alcoa Fire Department Chief Roger Robinson

“I’ve known Anna since the early ’80s, and I worked with her on numerous occasions. She was a tremendous reporter. You never had to worry about the accuracy of her reporting. She will be sadly missed, not only by our department, but from the entire community. We want her family to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them. For many years, she called every night to see if we had any runs during the day. She would always say, ‘Hi this is Anna.’ After talking to her so much, you always knew who she was. She was a sweet lady. She will definitely be missed. When I made chief, as soon as she heard, she met me in the hall. She was at the police department. I came through — she just grabbed me and hugged me and said I’m so proud of you.”

Blount County Fire Department Chief Doug McClanahan

“She’s going to be greatly missed by everybody. She’s been around in her business for a long time. She’s been with me my whole career. When you think of newspaper, The Daily Times, the press, you think of Anna. She’s been a supporter of the emergency services. She’s just second to none when it comes to good people. She was really a protector of us, too. She was always fair. She listened to both sides of the story. She wanted to have the truth.”

Blount County Communications Director Jeff Caylor

“She was really a friend to everybody. Everybody really knew her. She was there anytime we had a gathering or a board meeting. She obviously took a personal interest in it. Whenever Anna covered any aspect of our operation, I think it was really apparent that it was not just a matter of her covering the news — it was something that she was really interested in. I speak for our entire organization when I say that we are going to greatly miss having her around.”

Blount County Assistant District Attorney Tammy Harrington

“To say that she is one of the finest people I’ve ever met is an understatement. She was not only one of the finest people in the business, she was just a great, great person. This community has suffered a tremendous loss.”

Blount County District Attorney General Mike Flynn

“She was a special lady. I think, to me, she was the epitome of a journalist. She was fearless in following a story and finding the truth. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone with any more integrity than her. She fought a hard fight.”

Blount County General Sessions Judge David R. Duggan

“First of all, she was an excellent reporter. I always felt like you could rely upon her fairness and her accuracy in her stories. I felt like she was always very fair to me. Before I became a judge, I represented cities and school boards (as an attorney). I was sometimes involved in controversial matters, and I always felt like Anna was very fair to me. I also felt like I could trust her. If she told you that something was off the record, then it was off the record.

“She’s someone you just can’t replace. There are plenty of good reporters and there is only one Anna Irwin. She will certainly be missed. Everybody always looked forward to seeing her. She always had a smile on her face. She was very ethical. A lot of people are good at what they do, but she’s a fixture. There’s only one Anna Irwin. She’s one that you identify her profession with her.”

Blount County General Sessions Judge William R. Brewer

“I not only found her to be just a fair and accurate reporter of the news, but I also found her to just be a genuine person who cared a lot about what she was doing and this community. She wanted to report what was going on fairly and accurately, and I think that reflected on her character.

“During the ‘White Spider’ investigation (when several people who were running massage parlors attempted to bribe Brewer and he reported it to the sheriff) she knew about it and sat on that story for a long time. She sat on that story for at least five or six years. The investigation couldn’t have proceeded if she hadn’t of.

“I know she was a big fan of NASCAR racing. I remember back when it was Richard
Petty’s last race. I finagled tickets for me and for her. She really enjoyed that. When she was court reporting, she got things right. Whatever happened in the trial — if she didn’t understand what was going on, she would take the time to figure it out. She would strive for accuracy. I always felt like she was very supportive of me, and I appreciated that.”

Alcoa Police Department Assistant Chief Ken Beeler

“I’ve worked with Anna my whole career with Alcoa going on 30 years. Anna was probably one of the best reporters I ever saw. She gained the trust of all the police officers. There are not a lot of reporters police trust, and she was one of them. She would print exactly what happened.”

Retired Alcoa Fire Chief Larry Graves, who went to Everett High School with Anna Irwin

“She was professional, and she cared about the cities and the departments she worked with. She just made you comfortable. She was one of us.”

Retired Judge Hugh E. “Ed” DeLozier Jr.

“Anna ways always someone who would come over and talk. She was a person that held everything in confidence, even if it was newsworthy. We always had a good working relationship; I trusted her.

“Anna told me she went with Adele McKenzie (the late longtime court and crime reporter for The Daily Times) to my first or second day in court after I became a judge. Adele was an old family friend of my mom and dad. She took Anna over to view my first day or two in court. Anna told me she sat there and told Adele, ‘My God, where did they get him. I don’t know if he is going to make it.’ Adele replied ‘He’ll prove himself. He’s of good stock.’

“Anna was always someone I could talk to and know it would be held in confidence. She subscribed to the highest standard of objective reporting. She was a dear personal friend - one I know Blount County will miss.”

DeLozier retired after 25 years as Section I General Sessions Judge

Blount County Juvenile Court Judge Terry Denton

“The community has suffered a tremendous loss. Anna has been such an example of a professional journalist. She’ll be sadly missed.”
Blount County Circuit Court Judge W. Dale Young

“Anna was a person that I had great trust in. Her word was her bond. She will be sorely missed by many, many people.”

Ed Bailey, who was a Blount County Assistant District Attorney for over 20 years
“We are very, very sad. I always had the very highest regard for Anna’s professionalism and the accuracy of her reporting and the candor with which she reported the news, some of which involved sensitive subjects. She was a good, personal friend.”

“Blount County Assistant District Attorney General Robert Headrick
“Anna was a clear and steady voice of Blount County and she will be sorely missed.”

Blount County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Angie Thompson, supervisor of the Blount County Canine Unit

“Number one, we know she is going to be missed. Anytime she saw us at the office or out in the field she always knew the names of all the dogs, asked about them and always had to pet them. She has been a huge supporter of us for the dogs through publicizing our fund-raisers and community-service days. Anytime we got a new dog, she did a story on that dog.”

Townsend Police Chief Ronnie Suttles

“I worked with her over the years. She was a super person, dedicated and fair.”

American Red Cross Blount County Executive Betty Hale

“She was one of the most giving, loving and kind people I’ve ever dealt with. We often had conversations late at night because of the things we had been working on. At the close of a conversation, she always wished me a good night and told me to make it a hot chocolate night. She talked of sharing hot chocolate with her daughter and told me to do the same with my daughter.”

Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad Captain Tony Bowers

“We worked with her at different accident scenes. She always helped us get our name out before the public, telling them what we were doing for the community. Our fund-raisers and money come from the people, and without their support we couldn’t operate. She showed the public what assistance we provided.”

Editor Dean Stone, who hired Irwin to work at The Daily Times and worked with her longer than anyone else, recalled her competitive spirit and her determination to get the story right.

“Anna won numerous honors but nothing pleased her more than beating any competition that might be at hand. It was not only a matter of being first but of being the best — the most accurate and the most complete. She regularly wove key details into her stories that competitors missed.”

Managing Editor Frank “Buzz” Trexler recollected that when he came from The Knoxville Journal (the original Journal) to manage The Daily Times, he was politely informed by stalwarts of the staff what was expected of him.

Irwin and the late City Editor Phyllis Cable made sure he realized he wasn’t just taking on a new job, he was inheriting the goodwill of a community. Journalists like Irwin and Cable had built that trust and they were prepared to protect it.

“We in The Daily Times family and Blount County community have lost an absolute treasure. Anna C. Irwin was not only an award-winning journalist, but one of the few in our profession who knew what it means to cover a community with courage, compassion and conviction. She will truly be missed.”