Obituaries

Lucas Lee Hembree, 13 of Louisville, Tennessee shed his earthly bonds for his Heavenly home on Tuesday April 28, 2020 while at his Mother’s residence in Maryville, Tennessee. Lucas was born March 2, 2007 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Chester Lee Hembree and Jennifer Lee McKenzie.  Lucas is survived by his Father, Chester Lee Hembree and Stepmom, Jennifer Hembree of Louisville; his Mother, Jennifer McKenzie and Stepdad, Darrall McKenzie of Maryville; his sister, Alexandria “Allee” Hembree; his brothers, Charlie Hembree, Gabriel Hembree, and Ezekiel Hembree; his paternal grandparents, Chester and Edith Hembree of Rockford; maternal grandparents, Barbara Davis of Maryville and Chris Witt of Sweetwater; great-grandparents, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.  He was preceded in death by his beloved and loyal companion, his service dog, Juno.  Lucas fought a courageous battle with Sanfilippo Syndrome and brought awareness to the syndrome as he was featured in numerous local and national media outlets.  Through social media, Lucas impacted and touched thousands of lives. He accrued over 37,000 followers with multiple stories about him being shared over hundreds of thousands of times.  During his battle, he and his service dog, Juno, gained national and worldwide notoriety, receiving recognition from many famous celebrities, athletes, politicians, and royalty.  Within his short time on this earth, Lucas had a lifetime of amazing adventures and accomplishments, such as having his picture shown on a billboard in Times Square in New York City, a story published in a book about him and Juno, and a birthday card campaign that resulted in Lucas receiving over 14,000 cards for his last birthday.  Lucas taught everyone lessons in love, courage, bravery, and strength in the face of adversity. Lucas had a “Can Do!” attitude and always inspired others to fight for what they believed in and to never give up. He had a tremendous amount of love for his family and life. Lucas always made sure everyone felt the love he had for them through his infectious smile and laugh.  Lucas will be forever loved and greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

The family would like to express their understanding of those that are concerned about the public gathering during the visitation and funeral, therefore the family would like to invite them to line the street of Broadway starting at the Maryville Municipal Building along the route to East Lincoln turnoff in Alcoa around 12:15 P.M. on Saturday to pay their respects during the procession to the cemetery. The family is requesting that the public display or wear something purple in honor of Lucas along the route.  The family is also broadcasting the funeral on Facebook Live at Prayers For Lucas Page www.facebook.com/prayingforlucas.