Curtis Darrell Childress, age 64, died at his home in Abingdon, Virginia, on April 29, 2023. Curtis was a creative writer who also loved and produced photography and art. He was a nature and animal lover, and, until a long-term chronic illness changed his lifestyle, he was a bicyclist and avid hiker along the mountain trails in Breaks Interstate Park and the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Curtis grew up in Breaks, Virginia, attended Breaks Elementary School, Grundy High School and Hiwassee College, Tennessee. At Hiwassee, he pursued mental health and religious studies, edited the literary arts magazine, and was an active member of performing groups, including the Hiwassee Singers. Curtis recorded a couple of songs in Bristol, Virginia after college.

His spirituality and belief in God were a constant companion and solace throughout his good days and bad days. Curtis faced hardship with true "mountain grit," and he was a most compassionate friend who put others before himself to a fault. He enjoyed thrift shopping, bargaining for collectibles and antiques, dining with friends and making them laugh. Curtis was a strong believer in equal rights, civil rights and the rights of all people to love whomever they wanted to love.

Curtis was preceded in death by his parents, Billy Curtis Childress and Elsie Hay Childress, and his brother, Eddie Dean Childress.

Respecting Curtis's wishes, burial will be managed by Clintwood Funeral Home  and will take place at the Dutton-Hay Family Cemetery, Clintwood, Virginia.