Alabama, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1805-1967 - 1814-1935
Virginia Guy
Virginia Guy, a native of Hogansville, Ga., and resident of Mobile, died Saturday at her residence. She was 78.
She is survived by one daughter, Donna Sonsone of Mobile; one brother, Harold McLarty of Chickasaw; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Christ United Methodist Church, with services to follow. Burial will be at Mobile Memorial Gardens. Arrangements are by Radney Funeral Home in Mobile.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
Annie L. Hobby
Annie Lois Hobby, a native of Smith County, Miss., who lived in Mobile, died Wednesday at a local hospital. She was 67.
Mrs. Hobby was retired from Mobile Infirmary, where she worked as an LPN for 21 years.
She is survived by two sons, Charles Hobby of Eight Mile and Sven Hobby of Saraland; one daughter, Lori Ann Hobby of Fairfield, Calif.; and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Valhalla Memorial Funeral Home in Semmes. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with burial in Valhalla Memorial Gardens.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
Charlene S. Potts
Charlene Smith Potts, an Alexander City native and Mobile resident, died Saturday at a local hospital. She was 75.
She is survived by two daughters, Janet M. Potts and Mary Jo Skinner, both of Mobile; two sons, T.J. Potts and Charles J. Potts, both of Mobile; one sister, Julia Erwin of Decatur; and seven grandchildren.
Arrangements will be announced by Radney Funeral Home of Mobile.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
Barbara P. Savage
Barbara Phillips Savage, a homemaker and Mobile resident, died Thursday at a local hospital. She was 60.
Mrs. Savage was a native of Walker County.
She is survived by her husband, Thomas F. Savage of Mobile; two sons, Scott Alan Hancock of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Eric Myles Hancock of Layton, Utah; six sisters, Dot Lovelady of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Marge Fuller, Gaye Ryals and Betty Reynolds, all of Mobile, Edith Mitchell of Dora, and Faye Henson of Sumiton; one brother, Lecil Phillips of Sumiton; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at New Horizon Memorial Funeral Home in Dora, with burial in New Horizon Memorial Gardens.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
Jacqueline M. Tillman
Jacqueline Miranda Tillman, the infant daughter of Miranda and Kurt Tillman, died Monday at a local hospital.
Other survivors include two sisters, Rachel Joann Tillman and Randi Melynn Tillman; and grandparents, Joy Bracknell, Joseph Rodrigues, Joyce Landry and Randy Tillman, all of Mobile County.
Services are private and are being arranged by Roche-Belmany-Herrington Funeral Home.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
William H. York
William H. York, an Atmore native and Eight Mile resident, died Thursday at his home. He was 55.
York was a diesel mechanic for more than 40 years and a veteran of the Vietnam war.
He is survived by his wife, Brenda York of Eight Mile; two daughters, Sarah Paulk and Ashley York, both of Eight Mile; two sisters, Florence Burch of Milton, Fla., and Mary Phaup of Farmville, Va.; and one grandchild.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Valhalla Memorial Funeral Home in Semmes. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Valhalla Memorial Gardens.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
Ulysses T. "Lease" Cleveland
Local florist Cleveland dies at 74
Mobile lost one of its premier florists Friday when Ulysses T. "Lease" Cleveland, who received the lifetime achievement award from the Alabama State Florist Association last year, died at 74 following a series of health problems.
Cleveland, whose Cleveland the Florist shops have been a staple in Mobile since the late 1940s, was an active businessman and civic leader who stayed on-the-go following his retirement at 65 and despite arthritis, emphysema and hip replacements, said family members.
"He was a fighter, " said his wife of 50 years, Mazie McDonald Cleveland, remembering their time together as "a happy life." He underwent open-heart surgery on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 and then suffered a couple of strokes in the weeks afterward.
Cleveland, a Murphy High School graduate, became interested in the floral business through his mother, who had begun the first shop, said Mrs. Cleveland.
"She would put everything in the ground and it would grow, " she said. "He loved flowers. He loved working outside."
With his proverbial green thumb and through his hard work, several Cleveland the Florist shops sprouted about town and became the largest FTD florist in Mobile, family members said. Cleveland, they said, was the first florist to offer drive-through service in Mobile and the first to offer customers the choice to hand-pick their own selections of fresh flowers.
His son-in-law, William Denson of Mobile, praised him as someone who "had a ton of friends" and as the consummate "do-it-your-selfer."
In addition to his business, Cleveland had served as president of the South Alabama Florist Association and the Alabama State Florist Association, as well as president of the Pleasant Valley Optimist Club. When he was honored by the state florist group, Mrs. Cleveland said her husband "was thrilled to death."
Their daughter, LeNae Denson, now runs the business. Cleveland would still stop by the shops, unable to keep his green thumb out of the potting soil. Said Mrs. Cleveland, "She depended on him to give her guidance."
Cleveland, a vibrant member of a mystic society, gave a new definition to active, not letting crippling arthritis and emphysema confine him to bed.
His wife said he would cart their three grandchildren about town, hooked up to his portable oxygen supply, and even take them fishing aboard his pontoon or deep-sea fishing out to the rigs off Dauphin Island.
"He loved the grandkids, " said Mrs. Cleveland, all of whom live in Mobile. "It really fills a void when you get older."
Her husband wowed her on the special moments of their life, like a new car on their 25th wedding anniversary, a trip to Europe for their 50th.
"He loved parties, " said the longtime love of his life. "He gave me a beautiful 50th anniversary party. He was good to me in more ways than one."
Denson said Cleveland had a wonderful sense of humor and when speaking at various functions would have "everybody rolling on the floor laughing."
The vital businessman-civic leader was "always there to help, " said Denson, "always ready to pitch in. He was very generous."
Mrs. Cleveland said her husband "was a lovely person, " adding in a soft voice colored with the lifetime of memories she shared with him: "I'm going to miss him."
Other survivors include his mother-in-law, Mae L. Dalton of Mobile, and nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight at Radney Funeral Home, with the funeral to be held at 1 p.m. Monday at St. John's Episcopal Church. Interment will be in Pine Crest Cemetery.
[Published date: 01/03/1999]
