Madison County, Alabama Obituary Collection 1998-1999 (From Various Funeral Homes)
Covering the towns of Big Cove, Brownsboro, Gurley, Hampton Cove, Harvest, Hazel Green,
Huntsville, Madison, Meridianville, New Hope, New Market, Normal, Owens Cross Roads,
Ryland, Toney, and Triana. Also many obits from nearby Athens (Limestone County).
Some of the funeral homes represented: Royal Funeral Home, Spry Funeral Home,
Valhalla Funeral Home, Laughlin Service Funeral Home, and Twickenham Funeral Home.
Note: These obituaries are NOT primary source. They are intended only to provide clues in
researching your family tree. Use the date at the top of each group of obituaries to determine
the date of death since this collection does not include specific dates, only the day of the week
that the death occurred. Use the handy 1998 or 1999 calendars to determine dates.
Cleazel Barkley
ARAB - Cleazel Barkley, 72, of Arab died Sunday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Gober Funeral Home in Arab.
Burial will be in Heflin Cemetery in Lawrence County. Survivors include two daughters, Martha Stewart of Arab and Shirley Briggs of Harvest; one son, Orly Barkley of Arab; three sisters, Ruby White and Betty Appleton, both of Moulton, and Lorene Coker of Arab; two brothers, Farris Hood of Moulton and Fay Hood of Decatur; and eight grandchildren.
Visitation will be today at 4:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
Roger D. Cofield
ALBERTVILLE - Roger Dale Cofield, 54, of 713 Tie St. died Sunday at a local hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Antioch Baptist Church.
Burial was to be in Freemans Chapel Cemetery with Albertville Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include two brothers, Gerald Cofield of Boaz and Charles Cofield of Arkansas.
Lola L. Dean
Lola L. Dean, 71, of Oakwood Avenue died Monday at a local hospital. Gallant Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Virginia J. Harris
TRIANA - Virginia Jefferson Harris, 89, of 165 Ervin Lane died Sunday at her home. The funeral will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Mt. Zion P.B. Church with the Rev. Jerry Russell officiating.
Burial will be in Faith Memorial Park with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
She is survived by several cousins, including Leon Kirby and Richard Ayers, both of Triana.
Her body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Donnie R. Hyatt
SCOTTSBORO - Donnie Ray Hyatt, 44, died Sunday. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Scottsboro Funeral Home with Handy Avery officiating.
Burial was to be in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Scottsboro.
Mr. Hyatt was a 1973 graduate of Scottsboro High School, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a member of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local No. 498 of Gadsden.
Survivors include his wife, Marsha Phillips Hyatt; one daughter, Danya Hyatt of Scottsboro; his parents, Ray and Mae Hyatt of Scottsboro; and one brother, Steve Hyatt of Skyline.
Will H. Johnson
Will Henry Johnson, 66, of 319 Plummer Road in Huntsville died Saturday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Wednesday at noon at Union Hill C.P. Church with the Rev. McKinley Jones officiating.
Burial will be in Meadowlawn Garden of Peace with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include his wife, Pearline Johnson of Huntsville; two daughters, Alberta Bates of Acworth, Ga., and Avis McConnell of California; one stepdaughter, Anncerell King of Huntsville; one son, Allen Lee Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn.; one stepson, Terran King of Huntsville; his father, Joe Ruben Johnson of Chattanooga; eight sisters, Liza Mitchell and Frances Johnson, both of Atlanta, and Betty Morgan, Sandra Gordon, Brenda Joyce Johnson, Evelyn McGowan, Dorothy Chalk and Renita Johnson, all of Chattanooga; three brothers, Claude Johnson of Acworth, James Johnson of Marietta, Ga., and Willie Johnson of Chattanooga; and six grandchildren.
His body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
John S. Keeton
John Samuel Keeton, 69, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Bradley Hall and the Rev. Larry Keeton officiating.
Mr. Keeton was born in Marion, Ala., and had lived in Madison County for the past 24 years. He attended Guntersville United Methodist Church and retired from the Navy with 22 years of service. Mr. Keeton was a member of the Gurley Masonic Lodge and Helion Masonic Lodge. He was also a 32nd-degree Scottish Rite.
Survivors include his wife, Vera Cryer Widner Keeton; two sons, Larry Franklin Keeton of Gdansk, Poland, and Donald Wayne Keeton of Birmingham; two stepdaughters, Rondia Turner of Vero Beach, Fla., and Mary Hodges of Birmingham; one stepson, Clifford Hodges of Birmingham; and one grandson, two step-granddaughters and two step-grandsons.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Helion Masonic Lodge.
Connie J. Kenemore
TRENTON, Ga. - Mrs. Connie J. Boydston Kenemore, 90, died Sunday. The funeral was today at 11 a.m. at Kerby Funeral Home in Henagar with the Rev. James Kilgore and the Rev. Arthur Boydston officiating.
Burial was in Beulah Chapel Cemetery in Cartersville, Ala.
Survivors include one stepdaughter, Myrtle Wootten of Ider; and nine step-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Herman L. Melvin
ARDMORE, Tenn. - Herman Lee Melvin, 67, of Merlein Circle died Sunday at her home. The funeral was today at 11 a.m. at Taylor-Ardmore Funeral Home chapel with Bro. Mickey Buford and Bro. Billy Taylor officiating.
Burial will be in Gatlin Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Irene Melvin of Ardmore, Tenn.; one son, Larry Dale Melvin of Horse Cave, Ky.; three brothers, Claude Allen Melvin, James Melvin and Kenneth Melvin, all of Cammer, Ky.; and two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Norman Morrow
PETERSBURG, Tenn. - Norman Morrow, 87, of 305 Buchanan St. died Sunday at a Lewisburg, Tenn., hospital. The funeral will be Wednesday ay 11 a.m. at McCauley Funeral Home with the Rev. Andy Mayton and the Rev. Don Stone officiating.
Mr. Morrow was a native of Mobile and was a retired shipping clerk with International Comfort Products. He was also a member of First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Pauline Collins Morrow of Petersburg; one daughter, Diane Thompson of Nashville; two sons, Don Morrow of Tullahoma, Tenn., and Jerry Morrow of Belfast, Tenn.; two sisters, Evelyn Deal of Nashville and Lillian Fitzhugh of Nashville; and six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation was to be today from 2 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Thomas E. Neal
Thomas Edward Neal, 28, of 9th Ave. in Huntsville died Monday at a local hospital. Gallant Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Charline H. Rives
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. - Charline Hale Rives, 83, of 604 3rd Ave. died Sunday at a Lincoln County nursing home. The funeral was today at 1 p.m. at Higgins Funeral Home with Bro. Joe Wayne McGee officiating.
Burial will be in Old Orchard Cemetery.
Mr. Rives was a former employee of Elk Cotton Mill and was a retired captain with the Fayetteville Police Department. He was a Navy veteran and a member of Fayetteville First Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Willie Rives of Fayetteville; one sister, Sara Hoose of Tulsa, Okla.; one brother, James Rives of California; five half sisters, Audrey Hall of Nashville, Marie Honeycutt of North Carolina, Ann Hazlett of Lynchburg, Nancy Brown of Fayetteville and Alta Mae Patterson of Hazel Green ; one half brother, Harold Rives of Oklahoma; and two grandchildren.
Peter Van Dae Jr.
ATHENS - Peter Van Dae Jr., 79, died Thursday at a local nursing home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Chapel of Peace Mausoleum.
Burial will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens with Valhalla Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Van Dae was a World War II Army veteran and was retired from Barber Coleman Co.
Survivors include his wife, Grace B. Van Dae of Athens; two daughters, Suzanne Steel of Athens and Karen Gray of Mascoutah, Ill.; one son, Peter Van Dae III of Tipton Ind.; one sister, Nellie Pugh of Woodbridge, Va.; one brother, Henry Van Dae of Warwick, N.Y.; and eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to CASA, 2200 Drake Ave., Huntsville, 35805.
Bob Trow
NEW ALEXANDRIA, Pa. - Bob Trow, who portrayed Robert Troll, Bob Dog and himself for some 30 years on "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," died Monday of a heart attack. He was 72.
Trow taped appearances for "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" just last week that are to in February as part of a lesson on noisy and quiet.
Before joining the PBS show, he contributed countless sketches before that for morning radio in Pittsburgh.
Rege Cordic gave Trow his start in broadcasting after hearing his musical group, which combined song and humor. Cordic brought Trow into Cordic and Company, first on WWSW and then on KDKA, using invented characters to harass the host to the great amusement of morning commuters.
