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.
Ronald E. Berryhill
MADISON - Ronald Eugene Berryhill, 65, died Tuesday at an Athens hospital. A memorial service will be Monday at 7 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with Elder Bob Harbor officiating.
Mr. Berryhill was born in Madison County and lived in Limestone County the past 13 years.
Survivors include his wife, Janet S. Berryhill; two daughters, Charlotte Holmes of Athens and Elaina Shelton of Harvest; one sister, Geneva Troglen of Spencer, Tenn.; one brother, James Berryhill of Huntsville; his mother, Hattie Mae Berryhill of Madison; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association.
Helen Brockway
NEW HOPE - Helen Brockway of 227 Wesley Childers Road died Saturday at a Huntsville hospital. New Hope Funeral Home will announce the funeral.
Richard W. Carter
TONEY - Richard Warren Carter, 44, of Alabama Highway 53 died Thursday at his home. The graveside service will be Tuesday at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Ray Kitts officiating.
Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville with Gallant Funeral Home in Hazel Green in charge of local arrangements.
Mr. Carter was a Macon, Ga., native, a painter and a wallpaper hanger.
Survivors include his parents, Theodore and Minnie Ridenour Carter of Toney; one sister, Judy Blencowe of Toney; and one brother, Larry David Carter of Hopewell, Va.
Rosemary Finnegan
Rosemary Finnegan, 78, of Huntsville died Friday at a local nursing home. Twickenham Funeral Home will announce the funeral.
Evelyn L. Hayes
HUNTSVILLE - Evelyn Louise Jones Hayes, 64, of 216 Seminole Dr., formerly of Grant, died Friday at a local hospital. The funeral will be today at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Grant.
Burial will be in Free Home Cemetery with Carr Funeral Home of Guntersville directing.
Survivors include one daughter, Vickie L. Hayes of Huntsville; two sons, Ronald Hayes of Guntersville and Steven Hayes of Grant; one sister, Carrie Mae Mandrum of Gadsden; and three grandchildren.
The body will be at the church an hour before the funeral.
Hettie Hollaway
ARAB - Hettie Hollaway, 93, of 4360 Hopewell Road died Friday at a local nursing home. The funeral will be today at 2 p.m. at Arab Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial will be in New Canaan Cemetery.
Survivors include one son, J.D. Holaway of Arab; two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Adam C. Hornsby
ARAB - Adam Chayce Hornsby, 2, of 616 12th Way N.E. died Friday at an Atlanta hospital. The funeral will be Monday at 2 p.m. at Arab Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial will be in Hopewell Cemetery.
Survivors include his parents, Michael J. and Elizabeth Hornsby of Arab; his godparents, Walt and Linda Dempster of Arab; his grandparents, Bonnie Feemster of Arab and Bill and Billye Runion of Georgia; and his great-grandmother, Frances Rutledge of Florida.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m.
William Kelly
William Timothy "Tim" Kelly, 30, of Huntsville died Friday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Monday at 10 a.m. at Twickenham Funeral Home East, 6262 U.S. 431 South, with Robin Wadley officiating.
Burial will be in Twickenham Memory Gardens.
Survivors include his wife, Michelle Kelly; one son, Cory Kelly; one daughter, Jessica Kelly; his father, Kenneth Kelly; his mother, Patricia Davis, all of Huntsville; three brothers, Philip Kelly of Huntsville and Matthew Kelly and Michael Kelly, both of Gurley; and one sister, Renae Kelly of Huntsville.
Visitation is today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Doris M. Kingsley
CHEPACHET, R.I. - Doris Mary Kingsley, 77, of Chopmist Hill Road died Friday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Brown Funeral Home, 1496 Victory Highway, Oakland, R.I.
Burial will be in Acotes Hill Cemetery in Chepachet.
Mrs. Kingsley was a lifelong resident of Chepachet and worked in textile mills in that area. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles F. Kingsley.
Survivors include one son, Donald Irving Kingsley of Madison; one daughter, Sharon Anne Stearns of Uxbridge, Mass.; two brothers, Roland Sweet of Greenville, R.I., and Robert Sweet of Scotch Plains, N.J.; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Melba J. Ledbetter
Melba Joyce Ledbetter, 78, of Huntsville died May 13 at a local hospital. A memorial service will be Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Bill Bostick officiating.
Mrs. Ledbetter was a Texas native and a Huntsville resident for 42 years.
Survivors include one son, Scott Hall ''Scootter Ledbetter of Huntsville; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be Thursday at Spry from 5 to 7 p.m.
Grace Estelle Lee
GURLEY - Grace Estelle Lee, 83, died Saturday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Monday at 10 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel.
Burial will be in Gurley City Cemetery.
Mrs. Lee was born in Jackson County and had lived in Madison County the past 60 years.
Survivors include three sons, Mickey N. Lee and Jimmy C. Lee, both of Gurley, and James Lloyd Lee of Woodville; three daughters, Margie Kibler of Phoenix, Ariz., Alice Faye Harbin of Gurley and Julia Juanita Wise of Huntsville; one sister, Eva Wells of Gurley; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at Spry.
Austin Moody
MURFREESBORO - Infant Austin Moody, 2 weeks old, died Friday at a Murfreesboro hospital. New Hope Funeral Home will announce the funeral.
Patricia F. Pace
Patricia Florence Pace, 64, of Huntsville died Saturday at her home. The funeral will be announced by Laughlin Service Funeral Home.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
Mrs. Pace was a founding officer, co-owner and chairman of the board of Pace & Waite, a local company that provides engineering and management services to the aerospace industry. She was a member of Holy Spirit Church, where she was active with the Altar Guild. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels and the Berkeley Community Thrift Store.
Survivors include her husband, Robert E. Pace Jr.; one son, Michael E. Pace; her mother, Martha D. Florence; and one sister, Melissa F. Lehman, all of Huntsville.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Holy Spirit Church building fund.
Visitation will be Monday at Laughlin from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with a vigil service at 7 p.m.
Irene J. Roan
Dr. Irene J. Roan, 72, of Huntsville died Thursday at her home. The funeral will be today at 3:30 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church with Dr. Henry Pope officiating.
Burial will be at 5:30 p.m. in Guntersville City Cemetery with Laughlin Service Funeral Home directing.
Dr. Roan had a private pediatric practice and was chief of occupational medicine at Redstone Arsenal before she retired in 1988. She was an adjunct faculty member at the local medical school. A supporter of the Charlotte Drive branch library, she was also a member of Faith Presbyterian.
Survivors include her husband, Avery M. Roan; two daughters, the Rev. Lyndall Hamlett of Guntersville and Helen Heffington of Atlanta; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be at the church an hour before the funeral.
Memorial donations may be made to Faith Presbyterian Church or the Charlotte Drive branch library.
Ilar V. Simpson
GUNTERSVILLE - Ilar V. Simpson, 83, of 1700 Seibold St. died Thursday at a Marshall County hospital. The funeral will be Monday at 2 p.m. at St. Minor P.B. Church in Guntersville with the Rev. Benjamin Burt officiating.
Burial will be in Warrenton Cemetery with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include one son, Bobby Simpson; three sisters, Icey NeSmith, Sara Jackson and Idell Havis; two brothers, David NeSmith and William NeSmith, all of Guntersville; one grandson and one great-grandson.
Michael E. Sweeney
Michael Edward Sweeney, 63, of Huntsville died Thursday at his home. The funeral will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Laughlin Service Funeral Home chapel with the Dr. Dennis Wiles officiating.
Burial will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the Grand Junction, Tenn., cemetery.
Mr. Sweeney was a longtime radio reporter in the Tennessee Valley. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Huntsville Advertising Federation for his commercial work.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara S. Sweeney of Huntsville; and several cousins.
Visitation will be today at Laughlin from 5 to 8 p.m.
Memorial donations may be sent to The Ark, 3609 Memorial Parkway, Huntsville 35801.
Henry J. Watford
DOTHAN - Henry J. ''Rusty Watford, 68, of 115 St. Johns Dr. died Friday at his home. The funeral will be Monday at Byrd Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Ralph Sigler and the Rev. Jerry Bliffen officiating.
Burial will be at Malvern Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mr. Watford was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He worked for the City of Dothan as an electrical lineman and later advanced to general foreman. He retired in 1984. Mr. Watford was preceded in death by his first wife, Katherine Cox Watford.
Survivors include his second wife, Roslyn Weed Watford; three daughters, Judy Tribble of Huntsville, Jeanne Corkran of Montgomery and Janet Hall of Dothan; one stepdaughter, Shahna Bragg of Dothan; one brother, Nolan ''Red Watford of Dothan; one sister, Mary Ogburn of Columbus, Ga.; and five grandchildren.
Bethel M. Wilburn
HAMMOND, Ind. - Bethel M. Wilburn, 65, died Friday in Harney, Ind. The funeral will be announced by Spry Funeral Home in Huntsville.
Dr. Herbert Chasis
NEW YORK - Dr. Herbert Chasis, a pioneering researcher of kidney ailments, died May 11. He was 92.
When Chasis, a researcher at New York University College of Medicine, began his study of kidneys in the 1930s, doctors were treating hypertension with salt-free and rice diets.
Chasis research helped develop more advanced treatments. He had found a way to measure how the kidney filters the salt, protein and water components of blood, thus regulating the composition of blood and urine.
He remained active at New York University until 1997, 64 years after he joined the faculty. In retirement, he continued writing and consulting.
