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.
Leroy Bolden
HAZEL GREEN - The Rev. Leroy Bolden Sr., 71, died Wednesday at a local hospital. The funeral was to be today at 1 p.m. at Spry Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Larry Johnson officiating.
Burial will be in New Sharon Cemetery.
The Rev. Mr. Bolden, a Madison County native, was a Korean War veteran and the owner of Leroy Fence Co.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Bolden of Hazel Green ; three sons, Leroy Bolden, Ricky G. Bolden and Alan D. Bolden Sr., all of Hazel Green ; one sister, Clara Sharp of Huntsville; and five grandchildren.
James D. Gill
ATHENS - James D. Gill, 88, died Wednesday at a Pensacola, Fla., nursing home. The funeral will be today at 5 p.m. at Gatlin Cemetery.
Baldwin Funeral Home in Gulf Shores will be in charge of burial.
Mr. Gill was a native of Athens.
Survivors include his wife, Laura Dell Gill of Athens; one daughter, Drue Bailey of Gulf Shores; two sisters, Rena Stringer and Ruby Roberts, both of Athens; and two grandchildren.
Ed J. Hand
ALBERTVILLE - Ed Junior Hand, 51, of 23-B Alameda Courts died Wednesday at his home. The funeral was Thursday at Adams Funeral Home in Albertville.
Burial was in Marshall Memorial Garden.
Survivors include his wife, Lula Hand; two stepsons, Ricky Blackmon and Billy Blackmon, both of Albertville; two sisters, Nellie Clyde of Georgia and Evelyn Holmes of Crossville; one brother, Billy Hand of Albertville; and three grandchildren.
Lora Higdon
FALKVILLE - Mrs. Lora Higdon, 86, of Falkville Health Care Center died Wednesday at a Hartselle hospital. The funeral was to be today at 11 a.m. at Peck Funeral Home with the Rev. Douglas Yacker officiating.
Burial will be in Bell Springs Cemetery.
Survivors include two daughters, Eveline Milligan of Falkville and Barbara Roberts of Hartselle; four sons, Edward Higdon of Cleveland, Tenn., Jimmie Higdon of Lake Genieve, Wis., Albert Cobb and Talmadge Cobb, both of Falkville; two sisters, Linda Ferguson of Tuscumbia and Glenda Miller of Tishomingo, Miss.; and 24 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Mattie E. Martin
Mattie Elizabeth Martin, 80, of Huntsville died today at a local hospital. Spry Funeral Home will announce funeral arrangements.
Survivors include two sons, J.C. Martin Jr. of Huntsville and Dean Martin of Flintville, Tenn.; two daughters, Faye Huber and Joyce Wilkes, both of Huntsville; and two sisters, one brother, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Jack Pannell
UNION GROVE - Jack Pannell, 53, of 1177 Bettinger Mountain Road died Wednesday at his home. The funeral was to be today at 3 p.m. at Arab Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Burial will be in Oleander Cemetery.
Survivors include one son, Kendall R. Pannell of Somerville; father, George Pannell of Union Grove; two sisters, Elizabeth Walker of Arab and Margaret Kenney of Union Grove; two brothers, Aubrey Pannell of Somerville and Robert Pannell of Laceys Spring; and two grandchildren.
Vernie G. Russell
Vernie Garner Russell, 92, of Huntsville died Thursday at a local hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Valhalla Funeral Home chapel with Dr. Robert Ledford officiating.
A graveside service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Glory Hill Cemetery in Anderson, Tenn.
Mrs. Russell was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by one son, Robert A. Russell Jr.
Survivors include three daughters, Jenny Russell Patterson of Burnsville, N.C., Jane Russell Sesnan of Nashville and Betty Oliver of Huntsville; and eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to American Diabetes Association.
Charles B. Rymer
Charles Blakeman Rymer Sr. of Huntsville died Tuesday at his home. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Valhalla Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Bob Blackburn officiating.
Entombment will be in Valhalla Memory Gardens.
Mr. Rymer was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. He was a World War II veteran and was retired after three years of military service and 37 years of federal civil service.
Survivors include his wife, Betty H. Rymer of Huntsville; two sons, Charles Blakeman Rymer Jr. of Budapest, Hungary, and Thomas Michael Rymer of Huntsville; and five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, 10 nieces and seven nephews.
Visitation will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to Grace Ministries at 131 Village Parkway NE, Building 4, Marietta, Ga. 30067-4061, or to the American Cancer Society.
Karl W. Schmalz
Karl William Schmalz, 74, of Huntsville died Tuesday. The funeral will be today at 6 p.m. at Ridouts Roebuck Chapel funeral home in Birmingham.
Burial will be in Grand View Cemetery in Johnstown, Pa. Twickenham Funeral Home south is in charge of local arrangements.
Mr. Schmalz lived in Birmingham 38 years before moving to Huntsville. He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter in Birmingham and was an insurance adjuster for NCCI before he retired.
Survivors include one daughter, Ouida Louise Wiggs of Atlanta; three grandchildren, Karl Wiggs and Margurite Leach, both of Birmingham, and George Wiggs of Huntsville; and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be today from 4 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
Mary Smith
LONG GROVE, Ill. - Mrs. Mary Joyce Laxson Smith, 63, of Long Grove died Wednesday at her home. The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at McConnell Funeral Home in Athens with Barry Dunn officiating.
Burial will be in Athens City Cemetery.
Mrs. Smith was a native of Athens and was a member of Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington.
Survivors include her husband, Melvin Smith; one daughter, Kathy Smith of Long Grove; two sons, Melvin Smith of Dallas, Texas, and David Smith of Mundelein, Ill.; two sisters, Annie Ruth Yarbrough and Joan Laxson, both of Athens; and two brothers, Glenn Laxson and Wallace Laxson, both of Athens.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
J. Limuel Teal
ALBERTVILLE - J. Limuel Teal, 80, of 104 Shirey St. died Tuesday in a local hospital. The funeral was Thursday at Adams Funeral Home in Albertville.
Burial was in Marshall Memorial Garden.
Mr. Teal was a World War II veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Lena Teal; two sons, Kenneth Teal of Gurley and Bobby Teal of Opelika; three stepsons, Lynn Mullinax of Horton, Terry Mullinax of Boaz and Wayne Mullinax of Albertville; four sisters, Beatrice Maddux, Hazel Cornelius and Helen Marrow, all of Guntersville, and Lavaner Barnard of Arab; three brothers, Jessie Teal of Anniston, Earnest Teal of Albertville and Walter Teal of Guntersville; and nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Elsie O. Templeton
HARTSELLE - Mrs. Elsie Orr Templeton, 79, of 413 College St. N.W. died Thursday at a Hartselle hospital. The funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home with the Rev. Ron Wilson and the Rev. Brooks Barkley officiating.
Burial will be in Hartselle Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Templeton was a member of First Baptist Church and was a retired licensed practical nurse at Hartselle Medical Center.
Survivors include her husband, Jack Curtis Templeton; two daughters, Janice Templeton Gay of Hartselle and Ada Templeton Alvis of Arlington, Texas; one son, Jack Charles Templeton of Hartselle; three sisters, Carrie Orr OBar of Hartselle, Essie Orr Hardison and Aleen Orr Christopher, both of Athens; one brother, Leon Orr of Falkville; and five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
