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.
Virginia F. Bright
SCOTTSBORO - Virginia Francis Bright, 74, of 1196 Holiday Shores Road died Tuesday at her home. The funeral will be today at 3 p.m. at Carr Funeral Home in Guntersville.
Burial will be in the Marshall Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Mrs. Bright was a member of Victory Baptist Church.
Survivors include three daughters, Carol Swanger of Albertville, Benita Wenchell of Peoria, Ill., and Michelle Bright of Albertville; one son, Jimmy Bright of Albertville; four sisters, Anna Hart of Orlando, Fla., Iva Lee Pardo of Pekin, Ill., B. Carole Kane of Atlanta and Martha Wright of Pekin, Ill.; two brothers, Al Eldridge of Washington, Ill., and Henry Eldridge of Elgin, Ill.; and five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Thomas M. Bruce
CROSSVILLE - Thomas Max Bruce, 66, of 5211 County Road 28 died Friday at his home. The funeral was Sunday at Crossville Memorial Chapel with the Revs. Keith Dodd and Willis Kelly officiating.
Burial was in Kilpatrick Cemetery.
Mr. Bruce was a retired carpenter and a member of Crossville First Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Kathy Bruce.
Survivors include his wife, Sadie Prady Bruce; three daughters, Karen Holcomb of Crossville, and Paula Butler and Allison Bruce, both of Birmingham; one son, Thomas Max Bruce Jr. of Guntersville; and six grandchildren.
Donations may be sent to Hospice of Marshall County.
Visitation will be Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Calvin Bryant
SOMERVILLE - Calvin "Shorty" Bryant, 70, of 576 Center Grove Road died Monday at a Birmingham hospital. The funeral was to be today at 1 p.m. at Arab Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial was to be in the New Salem Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Opal Bryant; three sons, Steve Bryant and Terry Bryant, both of Somerville, and Lucky Bryant of Eva; one brother, Windle Bryant of Hanceville; five sisters, Louise Fowler of Cullman, Eloise Cammon of Eva, Genevor Cammon of Mobile, Sadie Mantineo and Audrey Cottle, both of Florida; and seven grandchildren.
Charles L. Dobbs
Charles L. "Buster" Dobbs, 63, of 9633 Meridian St. died Monday at a Fayetteville, Tenn., hospital. The funeral will be today at 8 p.m. at Higgins Funeral Home with the Rev. Ronnie Gay officiating.
A graveside service will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Highland Memorial Gardens in Knoxville, Tenn., with the Rev. Gerald McGinnis officiating.
Mr. Dobbs was a native of Knoxville, an Army veteran, owner and operator of Challenger Boats and worked for Bumble Bee Boats.
Survivors include his wife, Carol Parsley Dobbs of Huntsville; one daughter, Tracey L. George of Knoxville; his mother, Dorothy Lou Hamby Dobbs of Knoxville; one sister, Betty Floyd of Knoxville; one brother, John D. Dobbs of Knoxville; and one aunt and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the cemetery.
Floyd Dunn
PALMETTO, Fla. - Floyd Dunn, 61, died Saturday in Florida. The funeral was to be today at 11 a.m. at Adams Funeral Home of Albertville.
Burial was to be in the Memory Hill Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Loyce Dunn; one daughter, Terri Straight of Florida; one brother, O.J. Dunn of Boaz; two sisters, Kathryn Stout of Ohio and Nellie Jones of Vinemont; and two grandchildren.
Janice Kelly
ANDERSON - Janice Estelle Chapman Kelly, 60, of 8132 Hickory Ridge Road died Monday at an Athens hospital. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Salem United Methodist Church with the Rev. Rav Blankenship officiating.
Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery with Limestone Chapel Funeral Home of Athens in charge.
Mrs. Kelly was a member of the church.
Survivors include one daughter, Anita McAdams Nye of Anderson; one sister, Betty Long of Anderson; and two grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Her body was to be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Joshua D. Marks
Joshua David Marks, 17, of Huntsville died Monday at his home. The funeral will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Elkins Funeral Home East chapel in Center Star with the Rev. William Keith Hawk officiating.
Burial will be in Pettus Cemetery.
Mr. Marks was a member of Willowbrook Baptist Church and a senior at Grissom High School where he was a member of the Theater Society.
Survivors include his parents, David K. and Vicki Thigpen Marks of Huntsville; one brother, Jesse Marks of Huntsville; and maternal grandparents, Roy and Carnell Thigpen of Lexington, Ky.
Visitation will be Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Sherman D. McAlister
KELSO, Tenn. - Sherman Dwayne McAlister, 57, of 56 Lincoln Lake Road died Tuesday at a Huntsville hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at McCauley Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Tenn., with the Rev. Gregg Barnett officiating.
Mr. McAlister was a native of Lincoln County, Tenn., owner and manager of B.J. Max Jiffie Mart, a Baptist and an Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Jo McAlister of Kelso; one daughter, Melanie McAlister of Fayetteville; one son, Carl Dwayne McAlister of Fayetteville; his mother, Eunice S. McAlister of Fayetteville; four sisters, Peggy Clark of Nashville, Martha Porter of Florida, Betty Porter of California and Mary Northup of North Carolina; and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m at the funeral home.
Roy M. Monroe
NEW MARKET - Roy M. Monroe, 69, died Tuesday at a Huntsville hospital. Spry Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mr. Monroe was a native of Jackson County, Ohio, and had lived in Madison County since 1977. He retired from the Coyne Cylinder Co.
Survivors include two sons, Roy Monroe Jr. of New Market and Dennis L. Monroe of Hazel Green ; four brothers, Nathan B. Monroe and Johnny Monroe, both of California, Bill Monroe of Tennessee and Bob Monroe of Washington; three sisters, Minnie Maurice, Emma Scott and Mary M. Hillburger, all of California; and six grandchildren.
Cleo Payne
ALBERTVILLE - Cleo Payne, 82, died Tuesday at her home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Adams Funeral Home of Albertville.
Burial was to be in the Marshall Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Survivors include two daughters, Louise Johnson of Gadsden and Jimmie Joyce Martin of Florida; two sons, Wendell Roden of Florida and George Payne of Crossville; three brothers, Theo "Bud" Burgess, Rayburn Burgess and J.W. Burgess, all of Albertville; one sister, Margie Bearden of Flat Rock; and 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Betty Pettit
BOAZ - Betty Sue Malone Pettit, 52, died Tuesday at her home. The funeral will be today at 4 p.m. at Sardis Church of God.
Burial will be in the Bethhaven Cemetery with Adams Funeral Home of Albertville in charge.
Survivors include her husband, Jack Pettit; two sons, Joey Malone and Johnny Malone, both of Boaz; a daughter, Judy Davis of Albertville; a stepson, Aaron Pettit of Albertville; a stepdaughter, Rebecca Smith of Union Grove; her father, Otis Golden of Attalla; a brother, Donald Golden of Jacksonville; two siters, Helen Colvin and Hilda Tilman, both of Attalla; and four grandchildren and five step-grandchildren.
J.P. Shores
SCOTTSBORO - J.P. Shores, 43, died Monday. The funeral was to be today at 1 p.m. at Scottsboro Funeral Home with the Rev. Jimmy Long officiating.
Burial was to be in Pinehaven Memorial Gardens in Hollywood.
Survivors include one son, Jeremy Shores of Nashville, Tenn.; his mother, Joann Sims of Scottsboro; his father, Milon Shores of Michigan City, Ind.; three sisters, Mariann Shores of Michigan City and Lois Long and Janice Beck, both of Scottsboro; and three brothers, Bryan Shores of Michigan City and J.M.Shores and Thomas Sims, both of Scottsboro.
Shirley Stewart
ARAB - Shirley Stewart, 61, of 2153 U.S. 231 South died Monday at her home. The funeral will be today at 3 p.m. at Arab Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial will be in the Gilliam Springs Cemetery.
Survivors include a daughter, Deborah Clay of Arab; two sons, Michael Wayne Stewart and Charles Eugene Stewart, both of Arab; two sisters, Sandra Patterson of Birmingham and Dorothy Gray of Gadsden; five brothers, Kenneth Johnson and Gary Johnson, both of Gadsden, Johnny Johnson of Alexandria, Rhett Johnson and Danny Johnson, both of Birmingham; and nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ronald L. Tyler
LACEY'S SPRING - Ronald Lee Tyler, 53, died Tuesday in Birmingham. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Survivors include his mother, Doris "Jimmie D. Hammon" Tyler of Lacey's Spring; one brother, Freddy Tyler of Glendale, W.Va.; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
Walter Chilcott Ford
BETHESDA, Md. - Walter Chilcott Ford, a retired Navy rear admiral and maritime consultant, died of renal failure Nov. 20. He was 95.
Ford retired from the Navy in 1961 after 40 years of service. That included World War II duty as commander of the destroyer Perkins and participation in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Guadalcanal campaign.
He received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star.
His postwar assignments included executive director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1947 to 1949, and service at the Navy and Maritime Administration.
He retired in 1961.
Eulalie M. Banks
LOS ANGELES - Eulalie M. Banks, a muralist, writer and illustrator of more than 50 children's books, died Nov. 12. She was 104.
At 18, she wrote and illustrated her first book, "Bobby in Bubbleland," published in London in 1913. After marrying Arthur L. Wilson, she moved to Pittsburgh and illustrated her first American children's book, a version of Mother Goose in 1921.
Her 1952 illustrations for Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses," for which she earned $950, has sold more than 2 million copies and is still in print.
She returned to England for the decade surrounding World War II, continuing to work there, illustrating books, magazines, calendars and greeting cards. Several examples of her card designs were exhibited at the British Industries Fair in 1948, shortly before she returned permanently to California.
