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.
Mary E. Aldridge
MADISON - Mary Elizabeth Aldridge, 99, died Monday. The graveside service will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at Kelly Cemetery in Eldridge with the Rev. Mark Maddox officiating.
Laughlin Service Funeral Home is in charge of burial.
Mrs. Aldridge had lived in Huntsville for 25 years.
Survivors include two sons, Joseph C. Aldridge of Madison and Ronald Aldridge of Houston, Texas; one sister, Ann Hudson of Jasper; and 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
Randy A. Beshears Sr.
HAZEL GREEN - Randy Allen Beshears Sr., 46, of Hunt Drive died Monday at his home. The memorial service will be Friday at noon at Gallant Funeral Home chapel in Hazel Green with the Rev. Lon Ostrzycki officiating.
Mr. Beshears was a native of Texas, an Army veteran and an auto recovery investigator.
Survivors include his fiancee, Brenda Cox of Hazel Green ; three sons, Randy Allen Beshears Jr. of Hazel Green, Marcus Ray Beshears of Crystal Springs, Fla., and Joshua Beshears of Molino, Ga.; his mother, Evelyn Martin of Huntsville; one sister, Elaine Ellett of Hazel Green ; four brothers, Marcus Beshears and Keith Martin, both of Huntsville, Michael Martin of Union Grove and Randy Martin of Jonesboro, Ga.; and two grandchildren.
Ernest W. Copas Jr.
WOODVILLE - Ernest W. Copas Jr., 46, of 6319 Butler Mill Road died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at New Hope Funeral Home chapel with Bro. John Stapler officiating.
Burial will be in Kennamer Cemetery in New Hope.
Survivors include his wife, Janice Copas of Woodville; one daughter, Angel Copas of Woodville; four sisters, Debbie Bolton, Shirley Ann Childers, Gayle Elkins and Wanda Jean Goin, all of Woodville; and one brother, Travis Copas of Woodville.
Kim R. Cordes
ARAB - Kim Robert Cordes, 54, died Tuesday at his home. The funeral will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Brookwood Cemetery in Arab.
Spry Funeral Home is in charge of burial. Mr. Cordes was a native of Birmingham and had lived in the Arab area 30 years.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Cordes of Arab; one daughter, Stacy Cordes of Florence, S.C.; two sons, Todd Cordes and Blake Cordes, both of Arab; his mother, Marie Cordes of Birmingham; and one brother, Craig Cordes of Birmingham.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Marshall County, 8787 U.S. 431, Albertville, 35950; or to the American Diabetes Association.
Jean Gilbreath
FYFFE - Jean Gilbreath, 76, died Monday. The funeral was to be today at 4 p.m. at Rainsville Funeral Home with the Rev. Travis Warlick officiating.
Burial was to be in Marshall Memory Gardens.
Survivors include one son, Ricky Gilbreath of Guntersville; one sister, Betty Roberts of Natchez, Miss.; three brothers, Tom Parker and Snookie Parker, both of Jackson, Miss., and Bill Parker of Vicksburg, Miss.; and five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Anna K. Grotewold
SEBRING, Fla. - Anna Krenz Grotewold, 97, died Wednesday at a local nursing home. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mrs. Grotewold was a native of Hannover, Germany, and moved to the United States in 1922. She lived in Sebring 50 years and was preceded in death by her husband, Hans Grotewold.
Survivors include one daughter, Mildred Grotewold Johnson of Huntsville; one granddaughter, Kyle Susan Johnson of Huntsville; two grandsons, Col. Warren Lee Johnson of Arlington, Va., and William Kenneth Johnson of Davis, Calif.; and one niece and one nephew.
Memorial donations may be made to Friends of the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library or a favorite charity.
Charles E. Hester
Charles Edward Hester, 66, of Huntsville died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church with Dr. Robert E. Weston and the Rev. Ronald Bynum officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery with Laughlin Service Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Hester retired from NASA as a supervisor of employee relations and a development specialist. He was a graduate of Bethel College and the University of Oklahoma. He was an elder at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Adcock Hester of Huntsville; one brother, J. David Hester of Knoxville, Tenn.; one sister, Lucille H. Cursey of Huntingdon, Tenn.; and five nephews and four nieces.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the church at P.O. Box 777, Huntsville, 35804.
Lydia R. Holman
MULBERRY, Tenn. - Lydia Ruth Holman of Lynchburg Highway died Monday at a Fayetteville, Tenn., hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 9 a.m. at Gallant Funeral Home with the Rev. Mike Johnson officiating.
Gallant Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Holman was a native of Canada and a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Donald G. Holman of Mulberry; one daughter, Deborah Rowley of Mulberry; and one son, Michael Melvin of Albertville.
Lela L. Johnson
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Lela Lane Johnson, 76, died Thursday at her home. The funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at New Hope Baptist Church in Palmdale, Calif., with the Rev. Vincent Wilson officiating.
Burial will be Desert Lawn Memorial Park. Royal Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Mrs. Johnson was formerly of Huntsville.
Survivors include two daughters, Maggie Patricia Reid of Long Beach and Wilma Jean Tigue of Sylmar, Calif.; her mother, Bessie Lane of Huntsville; five sisters, Josephine Leonard of Baton Rouge, La., Clara Mae Crutcher and Ellen Walton, both of Detroit, Lois Edwards of Middletown, Ohio, and Helen Burwell of Huntsville; three brothers, the Rev. Charles Lane and Woodie Lane Sr., both of Huntsville, and John A. Drake of Harvest; and eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Elliott J. Jones
BIRMINGHAM - Elliott Jackson Jones, 37, died Monday at a Birmingham hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Vestavia Hills Methodist Church in Birmingham.
Survivors include his parents, Bill and Jean Jones of Woodville; one sister, Pat Richeson of Birmingham; one brother, Bill Jones of Mobile; and grandmother, Amanda Jones of Woodville.
Memorial donations may be made to the 1917 Research Development at 908 20th Street South, Birmingham, 35294.
Kuang-Yu Li
Kuang-Yu Li, 94, of Huntsville died Monday at his home. The funeral will be Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at Twickenham Funeral Home South with Bro. David Liu officiating.
Burial will be in Twickenham Memory Gardens.
Survivors include one son, Legend Li of Huntsville; and one grandson, Dean S. Li of Huntsville.
James R. Matthews
STEVENSON - James Robert "Bob" Matthews, 101, died Monday at a Jackson County nursing home. The funeral was to be today a 4:30 p.m. at Rudder Funeral Home chapel in Stevenson with the Rev. Bill Castleberry officiating.
Burial will be in Pinehaven Cemetery in Hollywood, Ala.
Mr. Matthews was a member of Cave Springs Church and had been a farmer.
Survivors include three daughters, Loeta Davis of Stevenson, Imogene McCaray of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Charlotte Murphy of Deltona, Fla.; two sons, James Matthews and Fred Matthews, both of Stevenson; and eight grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Ora L. Peete
ALBERTVILLE - Ora Lee Peete, 70, died Tuesday in Fort Payne. The funeral will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at New Macedonia Baptist Church with the Rev. John Satterfield officiating.
Albertville Funeral Home is in charge of burial.
Survivors include four brothers, Billy Joe Johnson and David I. Johnson, both of Albertville, Charles Johnson of Guntersville and Johnny Johnson of Laplace, La.; four sisters, Betty Formby of Geraldine, Dorothy Satterfield of Crossville and Margaret Peppers and Martha Mayes, both of Albertville; and one aunt and several nieces and nephews.
Kenneth H. Stephens
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. - Kenneth H. Stephens, 78, of 1804 Dunroamin Lane died Monday at his home. The memorial service will be today at 7 p.m. at McCauley Funeral Home in Fayetteville with the Rev. Richard Hughes officiating.
McCauley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Stephens was a native of Lincoln County, Tenn., an electrical engineer and a World War II Air Force veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Juanita Stephens of Fayetteville; one daughter, Judy S. Gardiner of Bakersfield, Calif.; one sister, Frances S. Smith of Fayetteville; and two grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Fayetteville/Lincoln County Public Library.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Howard Stillman Jr.
MERIDIANVILLE - Howard W. Stillman Jr., 72, of South Oxford Circle died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral was today at 10 a.m. at Gallant Funeral Home chapel in Hazel Green with Dr. Tommy Bolan officiating.
Burial will be in Concord Cemetery in New Market.
Mr. Stillman was a native of Lake City, Fla., a Baptist, a retired Air Force master sergeant, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and retired from the Social Security Administration.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Yell Stillman of Meridianville; one daughter, Nikki Obradovich of Omaha, Neb.; one son, Bill Stillman of Carter Lake, Iowa; and four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
