KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The co-founder of a popular East Tennessee restaurant died on Wednesday at age 95, according to information shared by the restaurant.
Buddy’s bar-b-q co-founder LaMuriel Smothers is dead, the restaurant said on social media Saturday. The restaurant shared a link to Smothers’ obituary which explained how she and her husband opened the first Buddy’s bar-b-q on Kingston Pike in 1972. Her husband, Carcel C. “Buddy” Smothers, preceded her in death.
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“For more than 50 years, LaMuriel’s recipes, vision and genuine Southern hospitality helped make Buddy’s bar-b-q feel like home for generations of East Tennessee families,” Buddy’s bar-b-q said. “Her legacy lives on in every meal we serve, every guest we welcome and every memory made around our tables. Thank you, LaMuriel. You will forever be part of the Buddy’s family.”
In addition to Knoxville, the restaurant has location in Cleveland, Kingston, Athens, Oak Ridge, Maryville, Farragut, Bristol, and Clinton…