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.
Lillie Bailey
Lillie Bailey, 85, of 2211-D Clinton Ave. died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at St. James P.B. Church with the Rev. Billy Jones officiating.
Burial will be in Royal Cemetery in Madison with Royal Funeral Home in charge.
Mrs. Bailey was a member of St. James P.B. Church and the Sunshine Club, and she sang with the Mass Choir.
Survivors include two daughters, Earlene Petty of Huntsville and Lena Bell Parker of Ann Arbor, Mich.; and 12 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren.
Her body will be at the church one hour before the funeral.
Etheline Brewer
ATHENS - Etheline Brewer, 53, died Wednesday in a Huntsville hospital. The graveside service was to be today at 2 p.m. at Charity Cemetery with Lance Faylor officiating.
Spry Funeral Home will be in charge of burial.
Mrs. Brewer was a native of Madison County.
Survivors include her husband, Charlie Brewer of Athens; four daughters, Bonnie Atkinson, Kathy East and Debbie Pellem, all of Huntsville, and Becky Beard of Athens; one son, Mike Pellem of Pulaski, Tenn.; two brothers, Bobby Cates and James David Cates, both of Huntsville; and eight grandchildren.
O.C. Burruss
MADISON - O.C. Burruss Sr., 70, of 108-B Garner St. died Monday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Royal Funeral Home with the Rev. George Franklin Sr. officiating.
Burial will be in Northside Cemetery.
Survivors include one son, O.C. Burruss Jr. of Huntsville; four sisters, Eliza Teague, Corine Pickett and Gloria Penn, all of Huntsville, and Ree Burruss of Madison; five brothers, Ted Burruss, the Rev. Harrison Burruss, Henry Burruss and Phillip Burruss, all of Huntsville, and Theodore Burruss of Madison; and seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Robert L. Camp
Robert L. Camp, 85, of Huntsville died Thursday at his home. Laughlin Service Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Mr. Camp was retired from the U.S. Army and from the civil service. He was a World War II and Korean War veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Esther Camp of Huntsville; one daughter, Ann Camp of Huntsville; one son, Robert Camp of Clearwater, Fla.; one sister, Mary Angeline McBrayer of Sylacauga; one brother, Riley Eason Camp Jr. of Amory, Miss; and six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Rendy M. Gilbreath
Rendy Mae Gilbreath, 69, of 2411 Mount Vernon Road died Tuesday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Royal Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Alan Townsend and evangelist Mary E. Jackson officiating.
Burial will be in Meadowlawn Garden of Peace.
Mrs. Gilbreath lived her entire life in Huntsville and Madison County.
Survivors include two daughters, Deloris Vaughn and Linda Gilbreath, both of Huntsville; one son, Garon Muhammad of Huntsville; one sister, Annie Pearl Robinson of Huntsville; one brother, Leroy Smith Jr. of Huntsville; and three grandchildren.
Gary A. Hovis
MADISON - Gary Albert Hovis, 42, died Wednesday at his home. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Bevills Chapel Cemetery with the Rev. Charles Jones and Paul Gibbs officiating.
Spry Funeral Home will be in charge of burial.
Mr. Hovis, a native of Madison County, worked for the Harvest-Monrovia Water Authority and was a member of Harvest Baptist Church.
Survivors include one stepdaughter, Tamela Gibbs of Huntsville; one stepson, Richard Gregg Jr. of Madison; his parents, Albert and Lula Hovis of Madison; one sister, Myra Dupree of Harvest; and three step-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Harvest Baptist Church building fund.
Nell B. Kenney
HAZEL GREEN - Nell Benson Kenney, 87, of Bobo Section Road died today at a local hospital. Gallant Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Herman Landers
Herman Landers, 87, of Huntsville died Thursday at his home. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Ray Gurley officiating.
Burial will be in Huntsville Memory Gardens.
Mr. Landers, a native of Madison County, was a retired farmer and a World War II veteran.
He is survived by one sister, Louise Landers of Huntsville.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Darcy M. Mashburn
HARTSELLE - Darcy Morgan Mashburn, infant daughter of Kenneth Eric and Nicole Mashburn of 520 Chantels Way, died Thursday at a Decatur hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home with the Rev. W.G. Henry officiating.
Burial will be in Hartselle City Cemetery.
Other survivors include one sister, Jessica Mashburn of Hartselle; and her grandparents, Kenneth and Toby Mashburn of Birmingham and Richard and Bonnie Alford of Hartselle.
Dorothy B. Pelka
PEORIA, Ill. - Dorothy Bayless Pelka, 64, formerly of Huntsville, died Friday at a Peoria hospital. The funeral was Monday at Resurrection Cemetery with the Rev. Patrick Henehan officiating.
Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home in Peoria was in charge of burial.
Mrs. Pelka, a native of Huntsville, was a Butler High School graduate.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerome Pelka; her parents, Earl and Celia Bayless; and one brother, Alvin Bayless.
Survivors include one daughter, Marcy Debis of Elmwood, Ill.; three sons, Chris Pelka of Peoria, Robert Pelka of Hannah City, Ill., and Stan Pelka of Fairbanks, Alaska; one sister, Jean Ann Geiger of Huntsville; one brother, Bob Bayless of Huntsville; and eight grandchildren.
Orlean E. Potts
PULASKI, Tenn. - Orlean Elizabeth Potts, 95, of 1109 Columbia Highway died Wednesday at her home. The funeral was to be today at 4 p.m. at Liberty M.E. Church with Mack Pinkelton officiating.
Burial was to be in Simpson Cemetery with Bennet-May Funeral Home of Pulaski in charge.
Mrs. Potts was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Lee Potts.
Survivors include one daughter, June Coffman Meagher of Pulaski; and three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Jimmy M. Rowan
BOAZ - The Rev. Jimmy M. Rowan, 59, of 171 Charlotte Ave. died Wednesday at his home. The funeral was to be today at 2 p.m. at New Union FCM Church.
Burial was to be in Hillcrest Cemetery with Albertville Memorial Chapel Funeral Home directing.
Survivors include his wife, Ginger Rowan; one son, Rusty Rowan of Boaz; one sister, Hylan Walls of Boaz; and two brothers, Roger Rowan and Jesse Rowan Jr., both of Boaz; and two grandchildren.
Chuck Sparks
MADISON - Chuck Sparks, 45, died Thursday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Laughlin Service Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Marcus Long officiating.
Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
Mr. Sparks worked at WZDX-TV for 10 years. He also worked as a radio broadcaster for local high school football games and was a former host of the Saturday Morning Radio Coaches Show.
Survivors include his ex-wife, Barbara Russell of Virginia Beach, Va.; two daughters, Jennifer Sparks Scribner and Bonnie Sparks, both of Virginia Beach; two brothers, William C. Sparks Jr. and Joe Sparks, both of Madison; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society.
Marion C. Thompson
MERIDIANVILLE - Marion Cornell Thompson, 82, died today at her home. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Revs. Frank Perrin and David Johnson officiating.
A graveside service will be Sunday at noon EDT at Highland Memorial Park in Knoxville.
Mrs. Thompson, a native of Maryland, moved from Knoxville to Madison County in 1963. She was a member of Northminster Presbyterian Church for 35 years.
Survivors include her husband, Joseph C. Thompson of Meridianville; two sons, Joseph Cornell Thompson of Bountiful, Utah, and Kenneth Layman Thompson of Madison; and two grandson and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice Family Care.
Sadie L. Weaver
ATHENS - Mrs. Sadie Lou Weaver, 93, of 102 Hammond Circle died Tuesday at a Limestone County nursing home. The funeral was to be today at 1 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home with Dr. Fred Lackey and Ricky Michael officiating.
Burial was to be in Roselawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Weaver was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Lavonia McRae of Victoria, Texas and Blanche Storey of Athens; two sisters, Vivian Kathleen Holland of Amory, Miss. and Johnnie Nell Miller of Macon, Miss.; one brother, Jimmie C. Sanders of Houston, Miss.; and six grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund.
