Roy Dale Fleming

Roy Dale Fleming died in Knoxville on August 18, 2026. He was 78. Born in Knoxville on August 26, 1947, raised among Southern Appalachian manners that never needed a speech. He learned early that a day is something you finish, not something you wait for. He rubbed stain into wood until color became character. A can labeled by hand sat on his bench; he could match a customer's memory of a table. Colleagues still mention a can of stain labeled by hand. He married Imogene in 1970. They kept a house that stayed modest when the neighborhood did not. They raised a daughter through public schools and ordinary weather. After Imogene died in 2019, he kept the routines that still made sense: the walk, the garden, the Sunday call. Neighbors remember someone who knew every child's name on the block. He liked early mornings before the heat or the noise. He died in Knoxville, among streets he never needed to explain. The recipe card is still stained in the useful places.