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.
Era W. Barbee
SCOTTSBORO - Era Wilhelm Barbee, 85, died Tuesday at a Jackson County nursing home. The funeral was Wednesday at Scottsboro Funeral Home chapel.
Burial was to be in Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Mrs. Barbee was a member of the First Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Joe Chambless of Scottsboro; two daughters, Martha B. Hess and Ann Chambless, both of Scottsboro; and two grandsons.
Memorial donations may be made to the Scottsboro Public Library.
Bealem F. Carden
Bealem F. Carden, 74, of Huntsville died Thursday at a local nursing home. The graveside service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Valhalla Memory Gardens with the Rev. Johnny Carden officiating.
Valhalla Funeral Home is in charge of burial.
Mr. Carden was a World War II and Korean War Army veteran and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He lived in Huntsville 40 years and was retired from Boeing.
Survivors include three sons, Terry Carden, Barry Carden and Scott Carden, all of Huntsville; one sister, Bertha Cheeves of Bremen, Ga.; and five grandchildren.
Visitation is today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to American Heart Association.
Willie W. Chandler
PAINT ROCK - Willie Woosley Chandler, 90, died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Scottsboro Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Charles McCay and the Rev. Al Helton officiating.
Burial will be in Paint Rock Cemetery.
Mrs. Chandler was a retired Southern Railroad Depot agent and had served as secretary and treasurer at Paint Rock United Methodist Church for 50 years.
Survivors include one daughter, Joyce Chandler Stewart of Huntsville; one granddaughter, Debbie Stewart of Huntsville; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the Paint Rock Cemetery Fund.
Visitation is today from 4 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Millie W. Chumley
NEW HOPE - Millie Works Chumley, 76, of Sam Maples Road died Wednesday at her home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at New Hope Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Don Miller, the Rev. Wade Franks and the Rev. Michael Frost officiating.
Burial will be in Hayden Cemetery.
Survivors include two daughters, Brenda Chumley Abernathy of Anniston and Judy Chumley Anderson of New Hope; one son, H. Gary Chumley of New Hope; two sisters, Luzene Vaughn of Attalla and Reba Works of Gadsden; and five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice or a favorite charity.
Ulman Creque
TONEY - Ulman Creque, 82, of Old Railroad Bed Road died Thursday at a local nursing home. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Plainview Cemetery with the Rev. Don Stevenson officiating.
Gallant Funeral Home of Hazel Green is in charge of burial.
Mr. Creque was a native of Madison County and a retired carpenter.
Survivors include four sisters, Louise Payne, Ozella Fields and Odell Baldwin, all of Huntsville, and Margie Mathis of Toney; one brother, Lawrence Creque of Adrian, Mich.; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation is today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Santford R. Fanning
ELORA, Tenn. - Santford Richardson Fanning, 100, of Limestone Lane died Friday at his home. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Gallant Funeral Home in Fayetteville with Elder Harless Hale officiating.
Burial will be in Miller Cemetery.
Mrs. Fanning was a native of Jackson County, a member of Mountain Fork Primitive Baptist Church and a retired farmer.
Survivors include two sons, John Earl Fanning and Dwight Fanning, both of Elora; two daughters, Ruth Hale of Huntsville, Ala., and Florence Head of Fayetteville; and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Thomas F. Griffis
Thomas Farr Griffis, 73, died Wednesday. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Forest Hill Cemetery in Birmingham.
Ridouts Roebuck Chapel Funeral Home of Birmingham is in charge of burial.
Mr. Griffis, formerly of Birmingham, was a member of Highlands Baptist Church in Huntsville and Woodlawn Baptist Church in Birmingham. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was retired from Ford Motor Co.
Survivors include one daughter, Katherine Griffis Green berg of Birmingham; one brother, Donald W. Griffis of Huntsville; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
Marvin E. Groves
PORTLAND, Tenn. - Marvin Eskel Groves, 76, died Wednesday at a Nashville hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Wilkinson and Wiseman Funeral Home in Portland with the Rev. Richard Patton and the Rev. Greg McCoy officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Corinne Harper Groves of Portland; one son, Don Groves of Huntsville; six sisters, Ethel Stewart, Nellie Mae Searcy, Evelyn Groves, Kathleen Short, Inez Booth and Grace Richardson; one brother, Amon Groves; and three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Visitation is today from 2 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
James O. Horton III
James Oscar "Jay" Horton III, 37, of Huntsville died Jan. 5. A memorial service was Jan. 7 at Ridouts Valley Chapel in Birmingham.
Mr. Horton was an Auburn University graduate and was an active member and alumnus of Farmhouse Fraternity. He was executive director of GALAA and the AIDS Action Coalition in Huntsville. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Alabama AIDS Task Force.
Survivors include his partner, Marty Green of Huntsville; one sister, Beth Horton Whitaker of Birmingham; and two aunts, one niece and one cousin.
Memorial donations may be made to Farmhouse Fraternity Foundation, 11020 Northwest Ambassador Drive Suite 330, Kansas City, Mo., 64153, or to the AIDS Action Coalition, P.O. Box 871, Huntsville, 35804.
Mildred O. Mathews
TACOMA, Wash. - Mildred Oden Mathews, 88, died Monday in Tacoma. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Rock Creek Cemetery with the Rev. Fred Vincent officiating.
Peck Funeral Home is in charge of burial.
Mrs. Mathews was formerly of Decatur, where she worked at Orr Drapery Shop.
Survivors include one daughter, Kitty Cantrel of Tacoma; one brother, Jack Oden of Price ville; two sisters, Dorothy Murphy of Laceys Spring and June Evans of Birmingham; and three grandchildren.
Visitation is today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Lois M. Mohler
MANDAN, N.D. - Lois Mae Mohler, 65, died Wednesday at a North Dakota hospital. The funeral will be Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck, N.D., with the Rev. Stone Sathre officiating.
Burial will be in North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan with Eastgate Funeral Service of Bismarck in charge.
Mrs. Mohler lived in Huntsville from 1976 to 1984.
Survivors include her husband, Buddy Mohler of Mandan; one daughter, Kathleen Schmidt of Bismarck; one son, Richard J. Mohler of Madison; her mother, Elsie Amory of Bismarck; two sisters, Deloris Franck of Vancouver, Wash., and Gloria Winbauer of Bismarck; and three grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home and Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church.
Nils Nelson
Lt. Col. (retired) Nils Nelson, 78, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local hospital. The memorial service was to be today at 3 p.m. at Laughlin Service Funeral Home chapel with Dr. Ralph Langley officiating.
Mr. Nelson was a native of Norway and was retired after 27 years in the U.S. Air Force. He served in the Hawaiian Territorial Guard, the 447th Bombardment Group in England, the 54th Troop Carrier in Alaska, the 509th Bomb Wing, the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron and the 1002nd Inspector General Group. After he retired, he worked 10 years for Huntsville Housing Authority. He was also an active member of the Retired Officers Association and the Republican Mens Club.
Survivors include his wife, Miriam Nelson of Huntsville; three daughters, Debbie Nelson Gutierrez of Huntsville, Karen Nelson Dice of Tuscaloosa and Dianne Nelson Zirato of Arizona; one sister, Ruth Nelson Turner of Seattle; and nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Visitation was to be today from 2 to 3 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.
Thelma C. Tarkington
CENTERVILLE, Tenn. - Thelma Christine Tarkington, 75, died Thursday at a Centerville nursing home. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at McDonald Funeral Home in Centerville with Mark Walton and Thomas Mayberry officiating.
Burial will be in Oakmont Cemetery.
Survivors include her husband, R.W. Tarkington of Centerville; one son, Robert Elmore of Centerville; two daughters, Phyllis Lefever of Las Vegas, Nev., and Rebecca Crawford of Huntsville; one stepson, Randall Tarkington of San Francisco; two stepdaughters, Carol Victory and Karen Rogers, both of Centerville; four sisters, Clatie Bates and Sybil Jenkins, both of Centerville, Jimmie Hatcher of Cleveland, Tenn., and Mabel Ramsey of North Carolina; and 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation is today at 4:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
