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.
Patience Dickerson
Patience "Pat" Dickerson, 81, of Huntsville died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Fariss Drive Church of Christ with Bro. Dallas Walker Jr. officiating.
Burial will be in Northside Cemetery with Nelms Memorial Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Dickerson was a member of the church and was coordinator of the National Dinner Day Fund-raiser for Southwestern Christian College for more than 20 years. She worked with voter registration in Huntsville more than 15 years and was a member of the Good Neighbors Club. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Dickerson.
Survivors include two sisters, Era Brake of Huntsville and Irene Harney of Corpus Christi, Texas; one brother, John R. Townsend of Huntsville; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Her body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
H. Lee Gessner
H. Lee Gessner, 69, of Huntsville died Wednesday at her home. The memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church with Frank Broyles officiating.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Gessner had been a volunteer at Huntsville Hospital and has received the Clara Barton award.
Survivors include her husband, Walter Gessner of Huntsville; two daughters, Laura Kelly of San Antonio, Texas, and Sherry Snow of Birmingham; one brother, Hank Bax of Springhill, Fla.; and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Southern Care Hospital, 3322 S. Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, 35801.
Buena Hamilton
CHATTANOOGA - Buena M. Bishop Hamilton, 80, died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral was to be today at 3 p.m. at Kerby Funeral Home in Henagar with the Rev. Greg McGee officiating.
Burial was to be in Unity Cemetery.
Mrs. Hamilton was preceded in death by her husband, Herman Hamilton.
Survivors include one son, Bobby Mac Hamilton of Chattanooga; one aunt, Charlsie Murdock of Chattanooga; and two uncles, Leonard Stone of Chattanooga and Vernon Stone of Largo, Fla.
Susie J. Holder
GURLEY - Susie Jane Holder, 54, died Wednesday at her home. Spry Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mrs. Holder was a lifelong Madison County resident.
Survivors include her husband, the Rev. Calvin Lee Holder of Gurley; one son, Calvin Holder Jr. of Gurley; one sister, Nellie Mae Sisk of Gurley; and two brothers, Wilford Levoid Sisk of Meridianville and J.C. Sisk of Gurley.
Visitation will be Friday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Joy L. Kenney
GUNTERSVILLE - Joy Lee Kenney, 74, of 1010 Bakers Chapel Lane died Tuesday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at New Canaan Baptist Church.
Burial was to be in the adjoining cemetery with Gober Funeral Home of Arab in charge.
Survivors include husband, Arnold ''Bill Kenney; two daughters, Jennie Cardwell of Knoxville and Dianne Williamson of Guntersville; one son, Charles Kenney of Lincoln; four sisters, Hestell Pumphrey, Ozella Eubanks, Hermoine Scott and Willie Maude Wooten, all of Arab; one brother, Orby Campbell of Atlanta; and six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Charles F. King Jr.
ATHENS - Charles Franklin King Jr., 71, of Elm Street died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home in Athens with Don Osborne officiating.
Burial will be in Athens City Cemetery.
Mr. King was a native of Limestone County. He had retired from Athens Utilities and was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include one son, Charles King of Revere, Mass.; one daughter, Alice Smith of Gotha, Fla.; one brother, H.L. King of Athens; two sisters, Elizabeth Cooperrider of Glenford, Ohio and Dorothy Hossman of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; and several grandchildren.
Mildred M. Moore
Mildred Marie Moore, 59, of 5025-11 Blue Spring Road in Huntsville died Saturday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Union Hill Primitive Baptist Church with the Rev. Endia Scruggs officiating.
Burial will be in Meadowlawn Garden of Peace with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include one son, Levorne Moore Jr. of Huntsville; two sisters, Ella B. Eason and Bobbie Briggs, both of Huntsville; four brothers, Shelvie Eason, James Eason, Jimmy Eason and Hayward Eason, all of Huntsville; and three grandchildren.
Lynn A. Oberembt
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Lynn A. Oberembt, 67, of 6593 Spring Bottom Way died Tuesday at a Dubuque, Iowa, hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church in Dubuque.
Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque with Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Westview Funeral Home in charge.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Oberembt.
Survivors include two daughters, Joellyn Yeast of Dubuque and Stephanie Lorge of Huntsville; one son, Robert "Butch" Oberembt of Coggon, Iowa; one sister, Roberta Scholl of Minneapolis; and two grandchildren and one step-grandchild.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Lynn Oberembt Memorial Fund.
Ruby B. Phelps
ARAB - Ruby B. Phelps, 77, of 2519 Eddy-Scant City Road died Tuesday at her home. The funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Gober Funeral Home in Arab.
Burial will be in Arab Memorial Cemetery.
Survivors include six daughters, Fossie Byrams, Betty Jones and Shirley Phelps, all of Guntersville, Frances Schultz of Gadsden, Luann Phelps of Crossville and Carolyn Phelps of Texas; two sons, James Phelps of Nashville and Tony Phelps of Arab; one sister, Eloise Aaron of Heflin; one brother, Rulin Bridgeman of Fort Payne; and 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Paul F. Roviscane
HAZEL GREEN - Paul Frank Roviscane, 52, died Monday at his home. Spry Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mr. Roviscane was a native of Ravenna, Ohio. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
Survivors include one daughter, Tammy R. McCue of Gaston, S.C.; one sister, Kay Barba; his parents, Frank and Ruth Roviscane of Texas; and three grandchildren.
Jackie D. Sharp
Jackie Dale Sharp, 45, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local hospital. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mr. Sharp was a 1972 Sparkman High School graduate. He worked at Fox Army Medical Center.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis Moon Sharp of Huntsville; one son, Justin Dale Sharp of Madison; one daughter, Jennifer Louise Sharp of Madison; one brother, Curtis W. Sharp Jr. of Huntsville; one sister, Jean Randolph of Madison; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Jackie Sharp Memorial Fund in care of Sparkman High School.
Harvey F. Smith
Harvey Frayne Smith, 56, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 5 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with Bishop Richard Allegood officiating.
Spry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Smith was a native of Wise County, Va., and had lived in Madison County for 30 years. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had retired from Marshall Space Flight Center after working there 35 years.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Smith of Huntsville; three daughters, Natalie Cornelius of Holly Tree, Carol Virginia Johnson of Jacksonville, N.C., and Chrystal Dawn Smith of Huntsville; his mother, Virginia Pearl Smith of Huntsville; and seven grandchildren.
Visitation will be Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the funeral home.
Frances Stubblefield
Frances G. Stubblefield, 89, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local nursing home. The funeral will be Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Stubblefield graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1929 with a degree in home economics. She was a member of First Baptist Church here.
Survivors include one son, Dr. Phillip Stubblefield of Boston, Mass.; one daughter, Nancy Morton of Huntsville; one brother, David Graham of San Antonio, Texas; one sister, Helen Merrifield of Springdale, Ark.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity.
Charles H. Thomas
HARPERSVILLE - Charles H. Thomas, 59, died Tuesday at his home. The funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Albertville Funeral Home chapel with the Revs. Lonnie Craft, James Craft and Cale Dennis officiating.
Burial will be in Blue Spring Cemetery near Blountsville.
Survivors include his wife, Donna Thomas of Harpersville, formerly of Boaz; and three sisters, Ivalee Alcorn of Moody and Irene Melvin of Moody and Alfa Jean Sullivan of Branchville.
Ora R. Thornton
ARDMORE, Ala. - Ora Ruth Thornton, 88, of 26891 Homes St. died Wednesday at a Pulaski, Tenn., hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Taylor-Ardmore Funeral Home with Bro. Dale Mitchell officiating.
Burial will be in Bottom Cemetery.
Mrs. Thornton was a member of Ephesus Church of Christ. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Marjorie Birdwell.
Survivors include one son, Erskin Curtis Thornton of Athens; four daughters, Corene Thornton of Ardmore, Ala., Josephine Solomon of Elkton, Tenn., Barbara Birdsong of Pulaski, Tenn., and Ann Marie Patterson of Toney; two brothers, Cecil Clark of Sarasota, Fla., and Robert Clark of Laporte, Ind.; and 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Jeannie P. Tidmore
FLORENCE - Jeannie Peden Tidmore, 59, died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Eastwood Church of Christ with Charles Kretizer officiating.
Burial was to be in Jones Hill Cemetery with Spry Funeral Home of Athens directing.
Mrs. Tidmore was a native of Scotland and a member of Eastwood Church of Christ.
Survivors include one son, Thomas Tidmore of Florence; several brothers and sisters and one granddaughter, Nikki Tidmore of Florence.
Ralph A. Williams
Ralph Alexander Williams, 77, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with Elders R.N. Hale and Lloyd Simmons officiating.
Burial will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Huntland, Tenn.
Mr. Williams was a native of Madison County and had lived in Huntsville 23 years. He was a World War II veteran and received the Purple Heart for being wounded at the battle of Okinawa. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans and was a member of Mountain Fork Primitive Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lena Ruth Williams.
Survivors include three sisters, Lorene Isbell of Huntsville and Gladys Green and Lavonia Lee, both of Huntland, Tenn.; two brothers, Kenneth Williams of Rockwell, Texas, and Maloy Williams of Huntland; and several nieces and nephews.
