Melinda Catherine “Cathy” Acquaviva, 69, died unexpectedly on November 9, 2022. She was born in Asheville on October 11, 1953. She found the love of her life Gary Acquaviva in Knoxville in the spring of 1974 while attending UT. They married a few months later on November 30 and celebrated 48 years of love and adventure together.
They moved to Morristown before welcoming their first born, Aletheia Davidson (Acquaviva). A few years later their second daughter, Andrea Acquaviva-Kimbrough was born.
After raising her daughters, she followed her love of language and returned to Carson Newman College to get a master’s degree in language arts.
She taught Spanish at Morristown-Hamblen High School West for many years and helped to initiate ESL in Morristown teaching classes at WSCC. She and her husband moved to Waynesville, NC in 2004 where she taught Spanish at Pisgah High School until her retirement in 2019.
Always one for reading she loved books and lively conversation with her friends and family. Cathy also loved gardening, her King Charles Spaniels, cooking, and enjoying the mountain sunsets and air.
They loved traveling and they visited Mexico four times and Spain three times. In spring of this year they went to Italy with their daughters to celebrate Gary’s 80th birthday.
Her family will miss her quick wit, beautiful smile, and love.
She is preceded in death by her parents Bob and Margaret Ann Jones, Mike Jones (brother), mother-in law Mary Acquaviva, and father-in-law Joseph Acquaviva. She is survived by her husband Gary, daughters Aletheia (Ian) Davidson, Andrea (Keith) Kimbrough, grandchildren Charlie and Olivia, brother Mark Jones (Lynette), sister Elizabeth Ann Skeen (Mark), and a host of family and friends.
A celebration of life will be held Dec. 3 from 2 – 4 pm at Lake Junaluska Harrell Center room 102.
To plant a tree in memory of Melinda Acquaviva as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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