Tamara Key Price

Tamara was born May 1, 1967, in Nashville. She spent her entire life helping and advocating for others. Before she’d graduated high school, she had been a candy striper, nanny and Special Olympics coach. She received a bachelor’s degree in social work in 1991 from Middle Tennessee State University. She went back to school in the mid-90s to earn a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Tennessee State University, where she did a practicum with the Mental Health Cooperative Mobile Crisis Team while carrying a full course load and waiting tables at Calypso Cafe. As a social worker, she spent the past 18 years coordinating and monitoring services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to that, she was a therapist at a community mental health clinic and a wilderness camp counselor. She was a passionate advocate for adoption, social justice, disability rights, public education and Nystagmus awareness. She was actively involved in improving her neighborhood and community.

Tamara found her true purpose in motherhood, when in 2014 she and Lex traveled to Wuhan, China, to adopt Maya GuanXin, then age six. Maya was the love and light of her life.

In July 2019, Tamara was diagnosed with de novo triple negative metastatic breast cancer. Throughout her 17 months of treatment, she made the most of every moment with her family. In her backyard and screened porch, she created Camp Priceless, where she, Lex and Maya could play games, watch birds, make art, and have their nightly cabin chat by lantern light. Throughout her illness and treatment, she advocated for metastatic breast cancer research. She took an active role in her care, staying deeply involved in the latest research and pursuing every treatment available to her, in an attempt to buy more time with her husband and daughter.

In addition to Lex and Maya, she is survived by her mother, Georgene Farris Brinkley (Jere); three aunts, Marlin Farris McGrew (Michael), Lynn Farris Andrews (Bobby), and Brenda Farris; stepbrother Brian Walker Brinkley (Nicole); sister Mandy Krahn; mother- and father-in-law, Eunice and Lex Price Sr.; sister-in-law, Joyce Reed (George); brother-in-law, Jim Prahl; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. She had countless friends from every chapter of her life, including many close bonds made during cancer treatment.

She was preceded in death by her father, Herman Lee Key Jr., and grandparents Herman Lee Key (Elsie); George Luthor Farris and Dana Lee Farris; and uncle, Perry Phillip Farris.

The family wishes to thank the Vanderbilt Medical Center oncology team, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, TNBC Thrivers, Music Health Alliance, and J.T. Moore Middle School for their invaluable support during Tamara’s illness. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Price family Gofundme, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, 1707 Division St Nashville TN 37203; or Music Health Alliance, 2737 Larmon Dr, Nashville, TN 37204.

A virtual celebration of life will be held on her birthday, Saturday, May 1, 3pm CDT, via First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville.

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