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.
Thomas L. Ashby
Thomas L. Ashby, 91, of Huntsville died Thursday in Diamondhead, Miss. Graveside service will be Saturday at 9 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery with the Rev. Coy Hallmark officiating.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ashby was a veteran of the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged with the rank of major. He was employed by Lincoln Mills for 22 years and later retired from Teledyne Brown Engineering. He was a member of First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Sara Ashby Thomas of Diamondhead; two grandchildren, Lee Anna Wright of Madison and David A. Thomas of Athens; and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church.
William Collier
GURLEY - William Collier, 71, died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Acklin Chapel C.M.E. Church with the Rev. Timothy Rainey officiating.
Burial will be in Berkley Community Cemetery with Nelms Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Collier served as secretary, treasurer and Sunday School superintendent of Mount Lebanon Primitive Baptist Church in Gurley. He was retired from the U.S. Navy.
Survivors include two daughters, Myrlah Coller and Doris Byrd, both of Gurley, and one son, William Collier Jr. of Gurley.
His body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Edward R. Dieringer
Edward Ralph Dieringer, 84, of Huntsville died Thursday. No services are planned.
Valhalla Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Dieringer was a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in World War II and Korea. He retired as master sergeant. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Elks Lodge.
Survivors include two daughters, Ruth Reichert and Kathy Badham, both of Huntsville; and one grandson, Edward Wirt of Houston, Texas.
Visitation will be Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to The Ark Inc., 3609 S. Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, AL 35801.
Michael A. Drexler Sr.
Michael A. Drexler Sr., 74, of Huntsville died Wednesday at his home. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mr. Drexler was a veteran in the U.S. Army and served in World War II. He retired from civil service as a comptroller for the Ballistic Missile Defense Command.
Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Drexler; three sons, Michael A. Drexler Jr. and John Drexler, both of Huntsville, and Stephen Drexler of Houston, Texas; two daughters, Kathleen Drexler and Mary Drexler, both of Raleigh, N.C.; four sisters, Helen Drexler Gloudemans and Mary Drexler Schreiber, both of Beaver Dam, Wisc., Flora Drexler Ayers of Albany, Calif., and Rose Drexler Hendrickson of Vacaville, Calif.; and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Judes Children Hospital.
Mary E. Gearheart
BIRMINGHAM - Mrs. Mary Emma Gearheart, 98, of Birmingham died Wednesday. A graveside service was held today at 11 a.m. at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East with Ridouts Roebuck Chapel in charge.
Survivors include three daughters, Virginia Warren of Birmingham; Lynne Finnegan of Huntsville and Grace Jennings of Williamsburg, Va.; a brother, Clarence Powell of Salem, Va.; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Visitation was Thursday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Ridouts Roebuck Chapel.
Barbara Hill
SOMERVILLE - Mrs. Barbara Hill, 49, of Somerville, died Thursday at her residence. The funeral will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home in Hartselle.
Burial will be in West Point Cemetery near Union Hill.
Mrs. Hill was a homemaker and was preceded in death by her parents, Owen Walter and Vera Lee Smallwood.
Survivors include one son, Joe Hill of Falkville; three brothers, Herbert Irvin of Hawaii and Roger Irvin and Howard Irvin, both of Somerville; two sisters, Martha West of Somerville and Ruby Maples of Hartselle; and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
John W. Holden
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - John Willie ''Jimbo Holden, died Monday at his home. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church with the Revs. Derrick Moore and Michael Cousin officiating.
Burial will be in Springhill Cemetery with Smith Brothers Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include his wife, Marsha L. Holden; four sons, John E. Holden, Sterling Birdsong, Michael Birdsong and Chris Fitts, all of Huntsville, Ala.; four daughters, Brenda Walton, Johnnie M. Leater, Tamatha Holden, and Sonya Holden, three sisters Louise Holden, Vinie Holden and Anna Holloway, all of Huntsville; and 12 grandchildren.
His body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Clarence Holmes Sr.
Clarence H. Holmes Sr., 96, of Huntsville died Thursday at a Pell City nursing home. A graveside service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Huntsville Memory Gardens with the Rev. Spurgeon Hendrick and the Rev. Harold Ritchey officiating.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Holmes was a lifelong resident of Huntsville. He was a charter member and treasurer of Hillsboro Heights Baptist Church, was a member of early community bands in which he played the clarinet, was a trustee for Joe Bradley School and was a warehouse foreman of Huntsville Manufacturing for 29 years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lennie S. Holmes.
Survivors include two daughters, Doris H. Brown of Huntsville and Janice A. Boyd of Fayetteville, Ga.; one son, Clarence H. Holmes Jr. of Talladega; nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Hillsboro Heights Baptist Church or to Ingram Manor, 410 Wolf Creek Road, Pell City, AL 35125.
Fred W. Huffman
Mr. Fred W. Huffman, 82 of Huntsville, formerly of Texas, died Thursday in a local nursing home. A graveside service will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. in Evergreen Memorial Park in Crockett, Texas. Interment will follow.
Mr. Huffman was born in Palestine, Texas, and had been a resident of Huntsville since 1995. He received an agronomy degree from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He worked in the agricultural chemical sales field, and throughout his life nurtured a love of gardening, cooking, traveling, cattle farming and the outdoors. He had been a member of the Masonic order for more than 50 years.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Frances Hooks Huffman.
Survivors include a daughter, Frances K. Huffman MacMurdo of Huntsville; a son, Fred C. Huffman of Dallas, Texas; and four grandchildren, Aynsley A. Huffman, Alyssa K. Huffman, Amy B. MacMurdo and Erin MacMurdo.
Memorial donations may be made to ElderCare at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Lue B. Jennings
Lue Birter Jennings, 95, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Royal Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. M.T. Hicks officiating.
Burial will be in Big Cove Cemetery.
Survivors include one brother, David King of Nashville; two step-brothers, Cleo Brown of Huntsville and John Brown of Nashville; three step-sisters, Mary Louise Robinson of Nashville, Shirley Matthews of Oceanside, Calif. and Nellie Acklin of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Glenda J. Jordan
Glenda Jane Jordan, 50, of Huntsville died Wednesday at her home. The funeral will be Saturday at noon at Spry Funeral Home chapel with Billy Loveday officiating.
Miss Jordan was a native and lifelong resident of Madison County. She was preceded in death by one sister, Janice Jordan, and one brother, Eugene Jordan.
Survivors include four sisters, Rita Jordan, Anita Jordan and Jo Ann Jordan, all of Huntsville, and Marquite Jordan of Hazel Green ; two brothers, Carlos Jordan and James L. Jordan, both of Huntsville; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation is today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Sharon D. Kelly
Sharon D. Kelly, 24, of Huntsville died Saturday, July 31, at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Owens Chapel M.B. Church with the Rev. Doris Lacy officiating.
Burial will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include one daughter, Miyada Kelly of Huntsville; two sons, Ronquavius Kelly and Marrele Kelly, both of Huntsville; her parents, Frank and Stella Toney of Huntsville; six sisters, Faye K. Nance, Cynthia M. Kelly, Tereasa A. Garner, Jacqueline D. Toney, Beverly D. Toney and Patrina Doughty, all of Huntsville; three brothers, Walter Kelly Jr., Anthony Doughty and Joshua Everson, all of Huntsville.
Nora Ledbetter
SCOTTSBORO - Nora Ledbetter, 51, died Wednesday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Woods Cove Baptist Church in Scottsboro with the Rev. Bill Pace officiating.
Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery with Scottsboro Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Ledbetter was preceded in death by two sons, Aaron Ledbetter and Neal Ledbetter.
Survivors include her husband, Winston Ledbetter; one son, Jamie Ledbetter of Scottsboro; her mother, Mary E. Rice of Scottsboro; and three sisters, Linda Sue Conley of Chicago, Jo Ann Stanley of Scottsboro and Mary Hill of Huntland, Tenn.
Visitation will be Saturday from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Clifton Alfred Romine
LESTER - Clifton Alfred Romine, 40, of Lester Road, died Wednesday at a Huntsville hospital. A memorial service will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Athens Church of God with Bill Reynolds officiating and Spry Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Romine was a member of the Athens Church of God and a U.S. Army veteran. He was employed by Schwarze Industries in Huntsville.
Survivors include his wife, Kathy Romine; two sons, Corey Romine and Connor Romine, both of Lester; one stepson, Brady Thompson of Carthage, Miss.; his father, Alfred Romine of Lester; his mother, Mickie Marshall of Rogersville; two sisters, Benita De Vaney of Elkmont and Pamela Romine of Lester; two brothers, Chris Marshall of Fayetteville, Tenn. and Clint Marshall of Grand Junction, Colo.; one step-grandson; several nieces and nephews.
Lucy B. Scruggs
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lucy B. Scruggs died Saturday, July 31. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Memphis.
Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery with Forest Hill Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Scruggs was a former resident of Huntsville, Ala.
Survivors include one son, William Howard Scruggs of Memphis; three daughters, Pauline McQueen, Ernestine Buntyn and Edith Karnery, all of Memphis; and one niece, Desser Ross of Huntsville.
Gertrude W. Shehan
Gertrude Williams Shehan, 88, of Huntsville died Wednesday at a local hospital. A graveside service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery with Laughlin Service Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Shehan was a lifelong resident of Madison County and was a charter member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Delbert Williams Sr. and George Shehan.
Survivors include one daughter, Marjorie Williams of Huntsville; one son, Delbert Williams Jr. of Huntsville; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Madison Academy or to HOPE Place.
Leroy T. Speegle
UNION HILL - Leroy T. Speegle, 66, of Union Hill died Thursday at his home. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at New Canaan Baptist Church.
Burial will be in the adjoining cemetery with Gober Funeral Home of Arab directing.
Survivors include his wife, Lynnoytte Speegle; one daughter, Connie Latham of Hatton; one son, Stephen Speegle of Decatur; two sisters, Odell Beaver of Florette and Letha Kramp of Florida; and four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today after 6 p.m. at the church.
