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.
Buman L. Bishop
ALBERTVILLE - Buman Lonnie Bishop, 78, of 908 East Alabama Ave. died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
Burial was to be in Marshall Memorial Garden with Adams Funeral Home of Albertville in charge.
Mr. Bishop was a longtime businessman in Albertville. He and his wife were married for 55 years.
Survivors include his wife, Jean L. Bishop; three daughters, Teresa Crawford of Valley, Donna Frost of Gadsden and Shari Harrison of Panama Canal Zone; three sisters, Vesper Baird and Elvie Smith, both of Albertville, and Sue Miller of Boaz; three brothers, Burley Bishop of Huntsville, L.C. Bishop of Washington state and J.D. Bishop of Anniston; and four grandchildren.
John A. Coryell
John Andrew Coryell, 67, of Huntsville died Thursday at a lo-
cal hospital. The funeral will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at Locust Grove Baptist Church with Dr. Robert White officiating.
Burial will be in Locust Grove Cemetery with Valhalla Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Coryell was a deacon at Locust Grove Baptist Church and was a former delegate to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He was a board member for the Starwish Foundation and was active in the Special Olympics and the Food Share program. He was also a reading volunteer at church and at public schools. He retired from the Marines after 28 years and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Survivors include his wife, Dolores Coryell of Huntsville; two sons, Randall Coryell of Atlanta and David Coryell of Huntsville; two daughters, Robin Gardner and Jan Coryell-Mahone, both of Huntsville; and nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be Sunday from 2:30 to 3 p.m. at the church.
James O. Davis
BRIGHTON, Mich. - James O. Davis, 50, died Tuesday in Portland, Ore. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brighton with Dr. Richard J. Alberta officiating.
Burial will be Monday at 11 a.m. in Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville with Keehn Funeral Home in Brighton in charge.
Mr. Davis was a native of Florence. He moved from Logansport, Ind., to Brighton in 1994.
Survivors include his wife, Wanda Hughes Davis of Brighton; two daughters, Natalie Gail Davis and Jami Nicole Davis, both of Brighton; his father, Eugene M. Davis of Huntsville; and one sister, Peggy Browne of Atlanta.
Memorial donations may be made to the Pregnancy Helpline in Brighton or the American Heart Association.
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 had 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 today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Southern Care Hospice, 3322 S. Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, 35801.
Susie J. Holder
MAYSVILLE - Susie Jane Holder, 54, died Wednesday at her home. The funeral will be Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Woody Harbin and the Rev. Earl Holder officiating.
Burial will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Holder was a lifelong Madison County resident.
Survivors include her husband, the Rev. Calvin Lee Holder of Maysville; one son, Calvin Holder Jr. of Maysville; one sister, Nellie Mae Sisk of Gurley; and two brothers, Wilford Levoid Sisk of Meridianville and J.C. Sisk of Gurley.
Visitation will be today from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Jean S. Holt
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. - Jean Simmons Holt, 65, of Wilson Parkway died Wednesday at a Fayetteville hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Gallant Funeral Home in Fayetteville with the Rev. Billy Langford officiating.
Mrs. Holt was a native of Lincoln County, a homemaker and a member of Flintville Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Huey O. Holt of Fayetteville; one son, Otto Jenkins of Johnson City, Tenn.; one daughter, Judy Jones of Fayetteville; one stepdaughter, Sherry Holt of Houston, Texas; two stepsons, Terry Holt of Houston and Larry Holt of Huntsville; her mother, Maybell Collins Simmons of Fayetteville; one brother, Jimmy Simmons of Fayetteville; and six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
B. Denise James
B. Denise James, 46, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church with the Rev. Toronzo Ezell officiating.
Burial will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens with Nelms Memorial Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. James was a records manager at Distributed Information Systems Inc. and was recently named "Employee of the Year." She was a member of Meridianville Bottom Primitive Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Latham James of Huntsville; five daughters, Kreslyn McGinnis, Leshawn James, Gwendolyn Hurt and Amanda Brown, all of Huntsville, and Phyllis James of New Castle, Del.; three sons, Christopher Kelly and Jerome Garner, both of Huntsville, and James Kelly of Anderson, S.C.; four sisters, Cheryl Sullivan of Atlanta, Phyllis Sullivan of Raleigh, N.C., Cynthia Shanklin of Huntsville and Marva Lucas of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; four brothers, Walter Sullivan of Huntsville, Wayne Sullivan of Madison, James Sullivan of Memphis, Tenn., and Delano Sullivan of Birmingham; step-grandmother, Naomi Burwell of Huntsville; and 18 grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Her body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sparkman Homes Boys and Girls Club Inc. in Huntsville.
Rachel McGilvary
Rachel McGilvary, 86, of Huntsville died Thursday at a local nursing home. The funeral will be held in Florida.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Survivors include two sons, Thomas McGilvary Sr. of Huntsville and Jimmy McGilvary of Crawfordville, Fla.; and four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Methodist Childrens Home.
Howard Murdock
GROVE OAK - Howard Murdock, 78, died Thursday at a DeKalb County hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at New Prospect Baptist Church with the Rev. M.B. Bailey officiating.
Burial will be in the adjoining cemetery with W.T. Wilson Funeral Chapel in Rainsville in charge.
Mr. Murdock was a native of DeKalb County and retired from Combustion Engineering Inc. in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Survivors include his wife, Berthell Richey Murdock of Grove Oak; one son, Stanley Murdock of Grove Oak; four sisters, Inez Murdock, Estelle Fricks and Jeannette Richey, all of Grove Oak, and Wilette Blansit of Fyffe; one brother, Paul Murdock of Grove Oak; and one granddaughter and one niece.
Paul F. Roviscane
HAZEL GREEN - Paul Frank Roviscane, 52, died Monday at his home. The graveside service will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at Charity Cemetery.
Spry Funeral Home is in charge of burial.
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. The funeral will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Laughlin Service Funeral Home chapel.
Burial will be in Mout Zion Cemetery.
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 today 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.
Carl C. Smith
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Carl C. Smith, 86, died Tuesday at a Hattiesburg nursing home. The funeral was to be today at 1:30 p.m. at Moore Funeral Home in Hattiesburg with Elders Curtis Nobles and Michael Hurst officiating.
Burial will be in Dixie Cemetery.
Mr. Smith was preceded in death by his wife, Cora Lee Smith; and one son, Hoyle Edward Smith.
Survivors include one son, George Smith of Gulfport, Miss.; three daughters, Frances Rayburn and Peggy Graham, both of Dixie, Miss., and Pat Mims of Huntsville; one brother, Hurshell Smith of Seattle, Wash.; and 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Harvey F. Smith
Harvey Frayne Smith, 56, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be today 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 today from 4 to 5 p.m. at the funeral home.
Annie M. Stroud
Annie Mae Stroud, 88, of Huntsville died Thursday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Ed Deel and the Rev. Ward Gatley officiating.
Burial will be in Prosperity Cemetery.
Mrs. Stroud was a native of Flintville, Tenn., and had lived in Huntsville several years. She was a member of Huntsville Bible Church.
She is survived by several friends.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Ruby L. Thompson
ALBERTVILLE - Ruby Lee Thompson, 85, died Wednesday at a Marshall County hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mount Olive Baptist Church with Bros. Shane Motley and and D.V. Harper officiating.
Burial will be in the adjoining cemetery with Albertville Funeral Home in charge.
She was a member of Union Grove Baptist Church No. 2.
Survivors include two daughters, Shirley Upton of Albertville and Ruth Smith of Lionsville, Ind.; one son, A.J. Thompson of Hanceville; two sisters, Ila J. Sims of Albertville and Irene Brooks of Arkansas; and eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Her body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Hugh Alton Carter Sr.
AMERICUS, Ga. - Hugh Alton Carter Sr., a former state senator and first cousin of former President Carter, died Thursday from complications of pneumonia. He was 78.
Carter was a retired Army colonel and a veteran of World War II. For many years, he owned and operated Carters Worm Farm. He also operated the Plainss Mercantile, later an antiques store.
Norman B. Hirsh
COTO DE CAZA, Calif. - Norman B. Hirsh, an engineer and aerospace executive who oversaw development and production of the Armys Apache attack helicopter, died June 8 of a heart attack. He was 64.
During the 1980s, Hirsh supervised production and sale of hundreds of AH-64A Apaches to U.S. and European forces as vice president and general manager of McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co. in Mesa, Ariz.
He later was a president of Rogerson Hiller Corp. and Rogerson Aircraft Corp. Flight Structures Group in Port Angeles, Wash.
George E. Keck
PORTLAND, Ore. - George E. Keck, a former president and chief executive officer of United Airlines, died Tuesday at age 87.
Keck joined United Airlines in 1946 as an industrial engineer and rose through the ranks to head what was then the nations largest air carrier.
He also was an associate in Kuhn, Loeb & Co., a Chicago investment banking firm, and later president of the Columbia Corp., a diversified Portland-area company that was liquidated in 1977.
Keck was a member of numerous corporate and community boards, including Sears, Roebuck & Co., International Harvester, Liberty Communications Inc., Grantree Corp. and American Red Cross-Oregon Trail Chapter; and a trustee for Northwestern University.
