Alabama, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1805-1967 - 1814-1935
Margaret Amelia Gesell Cantrick
12-06-2001
Former Jacksonville resident Margaret Amelia Gesell Cantrick, 85, a retired librarian and wife of composer Robert B. Cantrick, died Nov. 5 in Episcopal Church Home, Buffalo, N. Y., after a brief illness following a stroke suffered in her home.
Born in Monroe, Mich., she pursued a variety of occupations and avocations.
She was a librarian at Dorsch Memorial Library in Monroe, Mich., from 1935-42 and later was an executive secretary at Alcoa Steel Corp. in Monroe, a stenographer at Torney General Hospital in Palm Springs, Calif., a secretary at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, from 1956-59 a 1960 census taker in Jacksonville and Girl Scout troop leader, troop consultant and councilwide program committee chairwoman in Jacksonville.
After moving to Buffalo in the mid 1960s, she was catalog librarian at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery from 1967-82.
She received a certificate of honor from the Cottaquilla Girl Scout Council in Jacksonville in 1964 for serving “beyond the call of duty.” Upon her retirement from Albright-Knox in 1982, the gallery director cited her for her “dedication and loyalty” and her “personal attention to many details.”
In 1943, she married flutist and composer Robert B. Cantrick, now an emeritus professor of music at Buffalo State College.
Her husband noted that her “many and varied achievements were secondary to her primary achievement - she was a superb mother, wife and homemaker.”
She also studied piano in Monroe from 1938-42 and studied painting at Furman University in Greenville, S. C., from 1949-51 while her husband was a faculty member there. One of her works won first prize at the 1951 South Carolina State Fair.
In addition to her husband, survivors include four sons, Robert A. Cantrick of Montreal, Joel W. Cantrick of Boulder, Colo., Anthony G. Cantrick of Woodinville, Wash, and Timothy T. Cantrick of Wilton, Conn; two daughters, Susan B. Cantrick of Paris and Catherine V. Cantrick of Buffalo; and seven grandchildren.
Randy Hall
11-29-2001
Services for Randy Hall, 52, were at noon Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Anniston.
Mr. Hall died Nov. 20 at his home in Anniston.
Survivors include his sister, Mary Hall Marchewka of El Segundo, Calif; his brother, John Cody Hall of Tuscaloosa; a niece, Anne Hall Marchewka of El Segundo; a nephew, Dryden Cody Hall of Tuscaloosa and a brother-in-law, Terry Marchewka of El Segundo.
“Randy is the last in a newspaper family, each of whom were not only an archive of local events and names, but a library of current topics and ageless literature,” said H. Brandt Ayers, chairman and publisher of The Anniston Star.
The author of five plays, he helped found the current community theatre group CAST (Community Actors’ Studio Theater), which recently gave him its first-ever Edel Y. Ayers Award for his lifelong commitment to the arts and humanities in the community.
Born in Memphis, he grew up on Forest Lane in Anniston.
The east Anniston neighborhood, his family and relationships with friends provided fertile material for his writing and plays, which included Grover, Arts & Leisure, The Widow’s Best Friend, The Camellia Ball and Black Warrior.
Mr. Hall’s full-time job was as an editor and writer at The Anniston Star.
He was educated at the University of Alabama and Temple University in Philadelphia.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Cody and Barbara Hall.
Donations may be made to Hospice of East Alabama, 818 Leighton Ave., Anniston 36201.
Ruth Ford
11-29-2001
Services for Ruth Ford, 80, were Sunday at 2 p.m. at Jacksonville Church of God with the Rev. Earl Vinson officiating.
Burial was at Green lawn Memorial Gardens. Ford-Stewart Funeral Home of Jonesboro, Ga., was in charge of arrangements. Viewing was at Miller Funeral Home in Oxford.
Mrs. Ford died Friday.
Survivors include a daughter, Mary Ann Weldon of Buford, Ga.; a son, Ronnie Ford of Jacksonville; two daughters and sons-in-law, Joan and Earl Vinson of Alabaster and Rita and Charlie Steward of Jacksonville; four sons and daughters-in-law, James and Jacona Ford of Burlington, N.C.; Horace and Linda Ford of Sharpsburg, Ga., Dennis and Faye Ford of Sugarland, Texas, and Thomas and Donna Ford of Carrollton, Ga.; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Ford was preceded in death by her husband, Horace James Ford.
She was a member of the Church of God.
Kathy Hunter Jones
11-15-2001
Memorial services were Saturday at 2 p.m. at Friendship Baptist Church for Kathy Hunter Jones, 34, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Jacksonville.
A housewife, Mrs. Jones died Nov. 4 of heart failure at Bowld Hospital in Memphis.
Survivors include her husband, Christopher E. Jones of Millington, Tenn.; a daughter, Rachel Jones of Millington; two sons, Eric Donley and Kevin Jones of Millington; four brothers, Charles McClellan of Leeds, Michael Hunter of Fort Polk, La., Timothy Hunter of Groton, Conn., and Johnny Hunter of El Paso, Texas; and her grandmother, Mary Blake of Dallas.
She was a team mother of Millington System Youth Sports Football League.
Rev. Macon D. 'Easy' Johnson
11-15-2001
Services for Rev. Macon D. “Easy” Johnson, 83, will be today at 1 p.m. at K. L. Brown Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Rickey Hudson officiating. Burial will be in Seibers Cemetery in Pleasant Valley.
Mr. Johnson died Monday at Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Edna V. Green of Jacksonville; a daughter and son-in-law, Neva A. and Rickey Hudson of Jacksonville; four sons and a daughter-in-law, Phillip K. and Deneen Johnson, Ricky S. Johnson, Terry Johnson and Guy “Goob” Johnson, all of Jacksonville; two sisters, Doris Shew of Jacksonville and Nadine Garner of Huntsville; four brothers, Miles D. Johnson, Stanley Neal Johnson, Charles Johnson and Donald Johnson, all of Jacksonville; five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Randy Wilbanks, Tommy Johnson, Phil Johnson Jr., Jacob Johnson, Don Johnson and Henry Green .
Mr. Johnson was a native and lifelong resident of Calhoun County. He was an Army World War II veteran, where he served in the 9th Armor Division. He was a member and former pastor of the Church of the Nine Gifts, which he started in 1973, and was of Holiness faith. He preached for over 40 years. He was retired from Anniston Army Depot, where he was TMDE coordinator, and was the owner and founder of Johnson Insulation Company. He was an Army World War II veteran, where he served in the 9th Armour Division. He was preceded in death by a grandchild, Billy Joe Johnson, and his parents Macon Joseph Johnson and Enzia Lee Johnson.
