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.
Judith Batey
ALBERTVILLE - Judith "Judi Batey, 55, of 607 Reed Road, died Friday at her home. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Carr Funeral Home in Guntersville.
Burial will be in Marshall Memorial Garden.
Survivors include two daughters, Marci Farley and Debbie Brown, both of Guntersville; two brothers, Phillip McClure of Oregon and Larry McClure of Crossville; and five grandchildren.
Waylon Brazelton
TONEY - Waylon Brazelton, 20, died Friday at a local hospital. Gallant Funeral Home will announce arrangements.
Mildred Cothren
HAZEL GREEN - Mildred Cothren, 83, of Will Holt Road died Thursday at her home. The funeral will be today at 2 p.m. at Gallant Funeral Home with the Revs. Roger Berry and Don Stephens officiating.
Burial will be in Stateline Cemetery.
Mrs. Cothren was a native of Madison County, a housewife and member of the Carters Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include seven daughters, Ruth Poole and Sarah Price, both of Taft, Tenn., Yvonne Hicks and Jeanette Swinford, both of Hazel Green, Lila Fay Colwell of Albertville, Linda Riddle of Ardmore, Tenn., and Nancy Bankston of Ardmore; four sons, Johnny Cothren, Frankie Cothren and David Cothren, all of Hazel Green, and James Cothren of Ardmore; four sisters, Louise Lang of Albertville, Clara Mae Cothren of Ardmore, Mervaline Burns of Crossville and Erstine Nichols of Gadsden; and 32 grandchildren, 64 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Frances Farmer
GAINSVILLE, Texas - Frances Farmer, formerly of Huntsville, died Wednesday. Valhalla Funeral Home will announce arrangements.
Survivors include her husband, Robert L. Farmer; one son, James R. Freeman Sr. of Tampa, Fla.; one brother, Roy Taylor of Savannah, Ga.; one sister, Lucille Etheredge of Fayetteville, N.C.; and two grandchildren.
Elmer Hargrove
ATHENS - Elmer "Son Hargrove, 69, of 22548 Carey Road died Friday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home with Brother Calvin Inman and Brother Tim Keenum officiating.
Burial will be in Sardis Springs Cemetery.
Mr. Hargrove was a member of Sardis Springs Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Tim Christopher of Detroit; five sisters, Sallie Hargrove, Estell Brown and Vlema Batts, all of Athens, Lucille Clark of Elkmont and Lorene Brown of Decatur; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Ira E. Haskins
MADISON - Ira E. Haskins, 71, died Thursday at a local hospital. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Teresa M. Haskins; four sons, Edward J. Haskins and James C. Haskins, both of Atlanta, William R. Haskins and Michael A. Haskins, both of Rochester, N.Y.; two daughters, Catherine A. James of Rochester and Susan M. Boynton of Madison; and 10 grandchildren.
Donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Roy E. Lowrance
DECATUR - Roy E. Lowrance, 74, died Thursday at his home. The memorial service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal with the Rev. Harrison McLeod officiating.
Shelton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Lowrance was a retired civil engineer from Redstone Arsenal and a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal. He was a graduate of Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, an Army veteran of World War II and a Boy Scout troop leader.
Survivors include his wife, Arlene Lowrance; two sons, Roy E. Lowrance III of Silicon Valley, Calif., and Roger Thomas Lowrance of Houston, Texas; three daughters, Barbara Lowrance, Kathy Burkett and Patty Boldin, all of Decatur; one brother, Robert Thomas Lowrance of Jackson, Miss.; and six grandchildren.
Bradley N. Maddux
ATHENS - Bradley Nicole Maddux, 22, died Friday at her home. Taylor-Ardmore Funeral Home will announce arrangements.
Miss Maddux was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Brenda and Marlon Bradley of Athens; her father, Rodney Maddux of Eva; one brother, Matthew Bradley of Athens; and her grandparents, Ramona Burrell of Huntsville and Agnus Weeks of Eva.
Margaret ODonnell
Margaret V. "Peg" ODonnell, 65, of Huntsville died Tuesday in Atlanta. The funeral will be today at 10 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church with Father Phil OKennedy officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery with Twickenham Funeral Home South in charge.
Mrs. ODonnell retired from the government, taught elementary school, piano and religion. She was a founding member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where she was active in music and fellowship activities. She was also a member of her neighborhood association and volunteered for Meals on Wheels. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas C. ODonnell.
Survivors include two daughters, Margie Zoladz of Huntsville and Maureen Hein of Marietta, Ga.; one sister, Mary Siebert of Huntsville; and five grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the church building fund.
Lula L. Pace
SKYLINE - Lula L. Pace, 95, died Friday at a Scottsboro nursing home. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Skyline Church of God with the Revs. Jerry Glenn and Keith Stanford officiating.
Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Scottsboro with Scottsboro Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Pace was preceded in death by a son, Lonnie Pace.
Survivors include one daughter, Ruby Harding of Huntsville; one son, George Pace of Skyline; one brother, David McClure of Scottsboro; 13 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Odell M. Ratliff
ATHENS - Odell McClain Ratliff, died Thursday at her home. The funeral will be Sunday at Bethlehem P.B. Church in Green brier with the Rev. Joe Carter officiating.
Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery with Masons Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Ratliff was a member of the Eastern Star No. 67.
Survivors include her husband, Bernie Ratliff; three sisters, Essie Thatch and Ruby Malone, both of Athens, and Barbara Rice of Huntsville; and one brother, Melvin McClain of Detroit.
Dewey G. Smith
HARTSELLE - Dewey G. Smith, 81, of 705 Holloway St. died Friday at his home. The funeral will be Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at East Highland Baptist Church with the Revs. Charles Stone, Walter Blackmon and Joe Hoover officiating.
Burial will be in Burningtree Memorial Cemetery in Decatur with Peck Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Smith was a deacon and Sunday School teacher at East Highland Baptist Church, a retired sheet metal mechanic and he worked for union Local 141 in Birmingham.
Survivors include his wife, Nellie Speegle Smith; one son, Gordon Smith of Decatur; two brothers, Wesley Smith of Nashville and Herbert Smith of Springfield, Tenn.; three sisters, Clara Gibson and Betty Guthrie, both of Springfield, and Dorothy Lowery of Birmingham; one half-brother, Lewis Frazier of Bay Minette; two half-sisters, Betty Strickland and Lois Frazier, both of Birmingham; and one grandchild and one great-grandchild.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Lorene Stiles
LACEYS SPRING - Lorene Dodd Malone Stiles, 75, died Thursday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home with the Rev. Jimmy Morrow officiating.
Burial will be in Union Grove Cemetery with Spry Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Stiles was a native of Summertown, Tenn., but had lived in Alabama since 1950. She was a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church.
Survivors inlcude her husband, Joe Stiles; one son, Thomas S. Malone of Laceys Spring; six daughters, Frances Strickland of Griffin, Ga., Doris Williams of Grant, Bobbie S. Merrill of Huntsville, Mary Evans of Laceys Spring, Virginia Laws of Summertown and Sandra Hargrove of Panama City Beach, Fla.; one sister, Marie Flowers of Illinois; and 21 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Toney M. Taylor Jr.
DETROIT - Toney Maurice Taylor, 4, died Tuesday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Tuesday at O.H. Pye Funeral Home in Detroit.
Burial will be in Mount Hope Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Livonia, Mich., with Royal Funeral Home in charge of local arrangements.
Survivors include his mother, Tyra Lee Taylor of Detroit; his father, Toney Maurice Taylor of Huntsville; his grandparents, Denise Comer of Oak Park, Mich., and John Roy Taylor of Detroit; one brother, Devon Taylor of Detroit; and two sisters, Jaleesa Taylor and Keyana Green, both of Detroit.
Wilma H. Vest
HARTSELLE - Wilma Hensley Vest, 76, died Thursday at her home. The funeral will be today at 2 p.m. at Shady Grove Baptist Church with the Revs. Tom Campbell and Wendall Callahan officiating.
Burial will be in Johnson Chapel Cemetery with Peck Funeral Home of Hartselle in charge.
Mrs. Vest was a native of Morgan County, a homemaker and a member of the church.
Survivors include her husband, Delbert Vest of Hartselle; four sons, Virgil Vest, Earl Vest, Ray Vest and Billy Vest, all of Hartselle; one daughter, Ruby Lacy of Hartselle; three brothers, F.D. Hensley of Danville, Clifton Hensley of Hartselle and John D. Hensley of Trinity; one sister, CleZell Asherbranner of Falkville; and 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
