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.
Philip Lawrence Adair
Philip Lawrence Adair, 63, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be announced by Laughlin Service Funeral Home.
Survivors include his wife, Peggy Price Adair of Huntsville; two daughters, Terri Gainey of Alpharetta, Ga. and Leigh Ann Evans of Huntsville; one sister, Fannie Lee Ginn of Birmingham; two brothers, Joseph M. Adair and Conrad E. Adair, both of Birmingham; and four grandchildren, Emily Evans and Michael Evans, both of Huntsville, and Kelsey Gainey and McKenzie Gainey, both of Alpharetta.
Visitation will be Thursday at the funeral home from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
George R. Bain
George R. "Dick" Bain, 55, of Huntsville died Monday at his home. The graveside service will be Thursday at 3 p.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery, with Laughlin Service Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Bain was a veteran, a Mason and a Shriner. He was retired from BellSouth.
Survivors include his wife, Patsy Bain of Huntsville; one son, David Bain of Decatur; two daughters, Pamela Farnsworth of Huntsville and Carrie A. Bowman of Pell City; and several grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Golden E. Bethune
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. - Mrs. Golden Eve Bethune, 89, died Monday. The funeral will be today at 2 p.m. at the Rainsville Funeral Home with the Rev. Kenneth Bethune officiating.
Burial will be in Paynes Chapel Cemetery.
Survivors include two sons, Billy Joe Bethune of Chattanooga and Jeff Bethune of Higdon; four sisters, Oma Spurgen of Chattanooga, Dorothy Preston of Ringgold, Ga., Betty Summerford of Ida and Audy Burton of Lafayette, Ga.; one brother, Charles Holland of Higdon; and three grandchildren and five great -grandchildren.
E.S. Bingham
E.S. "Pete" Bingham, 76, of Huntsville died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Laughlin Service Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Scott Gossett officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Ruby Bingham of Huntsville; one son, James Bingham of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; one daughter, Dixie DeSanctis of Huntsville; one sister, Carmine Wilbanks of Memphis; and three grandsons.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation or the American Cancer Society.
Mary Annie Bridges
FALKVILLE - Mrs. Mary Annie Bridges, 91, of Summerford Nursing Home died Sunday at her home. The funeral was Tuesday at Forrest Chapel United Methodist Church with the Revs. Jeri Hunt and Tom Duley officiating.
Burial was in Forrest Chapel Cemetery,
Mrs. Bridges was a member of Forrest Chapel United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday School, and was preceded in death by her husband, R.B. Bridges, and two infant sons.
Survivors include four daughters, Adell Byford of Hartselle, Fay Speakman of Birmingham, Saralene Moore of Huntsville and Joyce Duley of Chattanooga; one son, Truman Bridges of Hartselle; and 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Kate F. Curtis
HARTSELLE - Mrs. Kate F. Curtis, 55, of 907 Logwood Road died Monday at her home. The funeral will be Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home with the Rev. Dale Butler officiating.
Burial will be in Burningtree Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Curtis was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, John T. Curtis; three daughters, Valerine Curtis of Jacksonville, Fla., Kimberly Curtis Jinks of Decatur and Stephanie Curtis Epps of Gadsden; and four grandchildren.
Vera R. Fanning
Vera R. Fanning, 80, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with Elder Mickey Harris officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
Mrs. Fanning, a native of Franklin County, Tenn., was a resident of Huntsville most her life and was a member of Grace Chapel P.B. Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd Fanning.
Survivors include one sister, Tina Ray of Tullahoma, Tenn., and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Grady Frasier
DAWSON - Grady Frasier, 64, died Monday at his home. The funeral was to be today at 4 p.m. at W.T. Wilson Funeral Chapel in Rainsville with the Revs. Jeff Davis and Frank Bradford officiating.
Burial will be in Beulah Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Eudessia Fletcher Frasier of Dawson; two daughters, Barbara Winkles of Scottsboro and Karrie Frasier of Dawson; one stepdaughter, Darlene Arthur of Fyffe; one son, Gary Frasier of Dawson; one stepson, David Long of Dawson; one brother, Hubert Frasier of Fyffe; and five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
James William Gibbs
James William Gibbs, 89, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. A memorial service will be Thursday at 4 p.m. at Spry Chapel with the Rev. John Rutland officiating.
Mr. Gibbs was a native of Huntsville and received his bachelors degree from the University of North Alabama at the age of 75. He worked in the Merrimack Mills as a boy.
Survivors include his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Gibbs; one daughter, Bonnie Leslie Gibbs Roberts of Huntsville; one sister, Sadie Mae Locke of Clanton; and one granddaughter, Jennifer Roberts-Toews of Huntsville.
James H. Heard
James "Jim" H. Heard, 48, of Huntsville died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be announced by Valhalla Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to a favorite charity.
Truman Hicks
RAINSVILLE - Truman Hicks, 74, died Tuesday at a Fort Payne hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Rainsville Funeral Home with the Rev. Ed Whitton officiating.
Burial will be in Kirk Memorial Gardens.
Survivors include his wife, Eula Hicks; two sons, Dennis W. Hicks and Morris J. Hicks, both of Rainsville; one sister, Jewell Johnson of Rainsville; three brothers, Kelly Hicks and Gordon Hicks, both of Rainsville, and Curtis Hicks of Dutton; and five grandchildren.
Eddie R. Jackson
STEVENSON - Eddie R. Jackson, 62, died Sunday at a Chattanooga hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Rudder Funeral Home in Stevenson, with the Rev. Horace Scruggs officiating.
Burial will be in Cross Cemetery.
Mr. Jackson was a farmer and an employee of the Tennessee Valley Authority for 25 years.
Survivors include his wife, Almeta Jackson; three daughters, Alica Jackson of Stevenson and Regina Jones and Tammy Gladden, both of Fayetteville, N.C.; two sons, Michael Jackson of Chattanooga and Lyonel Jackson of Cleveland, Ohio; two sisters, Bessie Smith of Stevenson and Carrie Ballard of St. Louis, Mo.; three brothers, Talton Jackson and David Lee Jackson, both of Stevenson, and Gentle Paul Jackson of South Pittsburg, Tenn.
Visitation will be today until 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mildred E. Kennedy
GRANT - Mildred Elizabeth Kennedy, 68, died Tuesday at her home. A private funeral is planned.
Spry Funeral Home will be in charge of burial.
Mrs. Kennedy was a native of Durham, N.C., and had lived in Grant for six years.
Survivors include her husband, Charles R. Kennedy of Grant; three daughters, Belinda Gail Keys and Robin Ellen Clayton, both of Grant, and Dorothy Dee Vincente of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; one son, Charles Lev Kennedy of Brandenton, Fla.; one sister, Katerine Mims of Durham, N.C.; and eight grandchildren.
Doris Kirshtein
ATLANTA - Doris Mae Aaronson Kirshtein, 77, formerly of Huntsville, died Wednesday in Atlanta. The memorial service will be Sunday at 2 p.m. Temple Bnai Shalom in Huntsville.
Mrs. Kirshtein was a retired Huntsville city schools teacher.
Survivors include two sons, David H. Kirshtein of Atlanta and Philip M. Kirshtein of New Market; and three grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society.
Clifton O. Laxson
HARVEST - Clifton ONeal "Shorty" Laxson, 70, of 29608 Country Lane died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home with Everett Conn officiating.
Burial will be in Huntsville Memory Gardens.
Mr. Laxson was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include his wife, Ester M. Laxson of Harvest; two sons, Melvin Laxson of Harvest and Michael Laxson of Athens; two daughters, Kathy Cribbs of Harvest and Belinda Parvin of Athens; four sisters, Ruby Singer of Florida, Arlene Pressnell and Linda Garter, both of Athens, and Faye Cox of Georgia; four brothers, John Laxson of Tennessee, Joe Laxson of Athens, Marion Laxson of Decatur and Malon Laxson of Chicago; and nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Alabama Sheriffs Girls and Boys Ranches.
M. Major-Mitchell
BIRMINGHAM - Marquita Major-Mitchell, 37, formerly of Huntsville died Saturday at a Birmingham hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at noon at St. Peters Baptist Church in Bessemer with Elder Ed Polite officiating.
Burial will be in Highland Memorial Gardens in Bessemer with Davenport and Harris Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Major-Mitchell was a 1978 graduate of Oakwood College and the pre-dental program at UAB. She worked for Sonat Corp. as a consultant.
Survivors include her husband, Tony D. Mitchell of Birmingham; her parents, Bertha Major and Richard Major Sr., both of Cornersville, Tenn.; two sisters, Kim Major-Gaiter of Atlanta and Lisa Marie Major of Eagleville, Tenn.; two brothers, Richard Major Jr. of Gaithersburg, Md., and Marcus Major of Madison; one stepson, Jerrell Mitchell of Birmingham; and one grandmother, Ethel Conners of Toledo, Ohio.
James L. McClellan
DAYTON, Ohio - James L. McClellan, 65, formerly of Gurley, died Thursday at a Dayton hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Wheat Funeral Chapel in Dayton with the Rev. Henry Parker officiating.
Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery with Nelms Memorial Funeral Home in charge.
Survivors include his wife, Clara McClellan of Dayton; two sons, James McClellan Jr. and Jason McClellan, both of Dayton; one daughter, Candice Hall of Dayton; and one sister, Vera Bearden of Huntsville.
Reuben W. Mundy
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Col. Reuben W. Mundy (ret.), 81, formerly of Huntsville died Monday. The memorial service was to be today at 2:30 at Brandon Wilde Retirement Community in Augusta.
Col. Mundy was former U.S. Army chief of military intelligence. After retirement, he was a stock broker for many years at Merrill Lynch in Huntsville.
Survivors include his wife, Joy Kinnebrew Mundy of Augusta, and one son, Ward Mundy of Atlanta.
Memorial donations may be made to Brandon de Wildes Colonnade/Pavilion Endowment through the University Health Care Foundation, (706) 826-8880.
Hershel R. Owens
GURLEY - Hershel Ray Owens, 58, died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Revs. Austin Posey and Iudeen Reed officiating.
Burial will be in Latham Cemetery in Trenton.
Mr. Owens was a native of Jackson County and a resident of Madison County for 45 years. He was a member of Cedar Point Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Jane Owens of Huntsville; two sons, Roger Joe Owens of Brownsboro and Gary Anthony Owens of Gurley; three sisters, Frances Jett of Hazel Green, Pricilla Quick of Flintville, Tenn., and Diane Spivey of Gurley; three brothers, Edward Owens of Gurley, Clarice Owens of Skyline and Winston Owens of Mount Eagle, Tenn.; and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Pearlene B. Samples
HENAGAR - Mrs. Pearlene Bates Samples, 67, of Henagar, died Tuesday. The funeral will be Thursday at 3 p.m. at Rainsville Funeral Home with the Rev. Brain Sutton officiating.
Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery.
Mrs. Samples was preceded in death by her husband, Moody F. Samples, and one son, Larry J. Samples.
Survivors include three daughters, Sandra Sparks of Henagar, Deborah Johnston of Gadsden and Susan Hillis of Sylvania; five sisters, Bonnie Padgett of Pisgah, Irene Chamblee of Rainsville, Iva Lee Wilson and Oniemae Blevins, both of Fort Payne, and Ann Kittrell of Adamsburg; two brothers, Herman Bates of Pisgah and Edsel Bates of Fyffe; and two grandchildren.
Jesse H. Shirley
BOAZ - Jesse Harvie Shirley, 84, of 3745 Leeth Gap Road died Tuesday at his home. The funeral will be Thursday at 3 p.m. at Etowah Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial will be in Union Cemetery.
Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Harvey and Theresa Ford, both of Boaz; one son, Jerry Shirley of Boaz; four sisters, Audra Comer of Centre, Mae Bradley of Boaz, Ruth LaVine of Huntsville and Bell Nelson of Ohio; three brothers, Gene Shirley and Nolan Shirley, both of Fort Payne, and Verdale Shirley of Crossville; and four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Joe J. Thomas
BRIDGEPORT - Joe John Thomas, 55, of Bridgeport, died July 3 in Georgia. The funeral will be Friday at 2 p.m. at Rudder Funeral Home in Stevenson, with the Rev. Jimmy Thomas officiating.
Burial will be in Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Survivors include one daughter, Christi Thomas of California; one sister, Virginia Spurlock of Chattanooga; and one brother, James Thomas of Chicago.
Visitation will be Thursday from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Bobby J. Tucker
GRANT - Bobby J. Tucker, 66, died Sunday at his home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Grant.
Burial was to be in Free Home Cemetery with Grant Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in charge.
Mr. Tucker was a Korean War Veteran and was retired from Marshall Space Flight Center after 30 years, working mostly in quality control.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Bearden Tucker of Grant; two sons, Kenneth Tucker of Huntsville and Dr. Patrick Tucker of Athens; one sister, Betty Burroughs of Scottsboro; four brothers, Dr. Olon Tucker, Billy Ray Tucker and Nelson Tucker, all of Grant, and Travis Tucker of Michigan; and four grandchildren.
Edna Irene Williams
ATHENS - Mrs. Edna Irene Williams, 73, of Myers Road died Monday at her home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home with Timothy Hunt officiating.
Burial was to be in Roselawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Williams was a member of Full Gospel Tabernacle Church and was a homemaker.
Survivors include two daughters, Brenda Germany of New Johnsonville, Tenn., and Elaine Pack of Athens; two sons, Wilburn Mounce of Athens and William Dale Porter of Texas; three sisters, Lucille Mounce of St. Louis, Ruby Davis of Forrest Park, Ga. and Rosemarie Williams of Salt Lake City; and 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
