June 1 obituaries

 

Wilmer Carl “Hooray” Ray, 71

Wilmer Carl “Hooray” Ray, 71, went to be with the Lord on Wednes­day, May 15, 2024. He was a lifelong resident of Cherokee, Alabama, and graduated Cherokee High School in the class of 1971. Carl played foot­ball and held the record for most yards in a sea­son, most touchdowns in a season. His senior year was the last time Chero­kee beat Colbert County in football. Carl was a walk on at Florence State, now UNA. He served as a volunteer firefighter with Barton Volunteer Fire Department. He retired after twenty-eight years as a tractor operator with Natchez Trace Parkway National Park Service and would fight fires for Nat­chez Trace out west. Carl also served twenty-eight years with the Nation­al Guard and five years in the Army. He enjoyed cutting grass, his com­munity, helping anyone in need, and watching the races at the racetrack. He served as a deacon at Nazareth Primitive Bap­tist Church in Cherokee.

Carl is preceded in death by his mother, Mary Ray Elder, and his father, Willie B. Goodloe. He is survived by his loving wife of twenty-nine years, Amy Suzanne Ray; sons, Jai Triplett (Julie), Nick Huey; daughters, Brandy Armstead, Jordan Ray, Carley Steele (Tarrant); brothers, Jason L. Ray, Terry Goodloe; sisters, Felecia Mead, Darlene Malone, Teresa Deca­tur, Margaret Goodloe, Elaine Goodloe; grand­children, Jalen Triplett, Jasha Triplett, Alanis Armstead, Kyson Steele, Dallas Steele; nieces and nephews, special nephew Jason Ray; special buddy and friend, Matt McCaig.

Visitation will be Sat­urday, June 1, 2024 from 11:00 to 1:00, with the funeral service immedi­ately following at Mor­rison Funeral Home in Cherokee with Rev. Wil­liam Vaughn officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Cherokee High School Class of 1971.

Charles Edward James, Sr, 85

Charles Edward James, Sr. 85, Muscle Shoals, passed away on Sunday May 12, 2024. A memori­al service will be held on Sunday, June 2, at Valley Grove Baptist Church, beginning at 4:00 p.m. with Greg Beasley and Ted Vafeas officiating.

Bro. Charlie was a vet­eran of the US Army Na­tional Guard. He served as Pastor at several Baptist churches in his communi­ty over his lifetime. Bro. Charlie was Pastor Emer­itus at Valley Grove Bap­tist Church, and served for two terms, totaling twen­ty-one years, at Hatton Baptist Church. He also served at Crooked Oak Baptist, North Highlands Baptist, North Village Baptist, and Washington Park Baptist churches. He was preceded in death by his son, Randy James.

Bro. Charlie is survived by his wife, Jean James; children, Chuck James (Beverly) and Sharna Logan (Eric); former in-laws, Paloma James and Anthony Pace; brother, Clifford James; grand­children, Courtney Vig­nuli (Michael), Amy Beth Hall (Ryan), José James, and Kenedi Pace; bonus grandchildren, Nikkole Austin, Erica Conley (Jordan), and Bailey Lo­gan (Tasha); great-grand­children, Julian Vig­nuli, Logan Conley, Nora Conley, Mila Hall, Giovanni Vignuli, Tyler Cook, and Troy Cook.

Friends will serve as pallbearers.

Robert Charles Landis, Sr, 93

Robert Charles Landis, Sr., 93, Sheffield, passed away Sunday May 26, 2024, at Huntsville Hos­pital. Visitation will be Thursday, May 30, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at An­napolis Avenue Church of Christ, Sheffield. The fu­neral service will immedi­ately follow at church with Thomas Sneed officiating. Interment will be in Oak­wood Cemetery, Sheffield.

Robert was a native and lifelong resident of Shef­field, as well as a life­long and faithful member of the Annapolis Avenue Church of Christ. His faith and dedication to his church was evident throughout his life. Rob­ert was a US Navy veteran and a veteran of the US Army, serving during the Korean War. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University in 1957, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Howard College in 1963. He was recognized by the Alabama Board of Phar­macy in 2013 for being a licensed pharmacist for fifty years. Robert owned Landis Apothecary in Sheffield, and later Helton Drive Pharmacy, and con­tinued to work relief phar­macy until he was eighty-five years old. He enjoyed studying the Bible, read­ing, watching movies, and walking at the TVA Trail. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lela Alice Starkey Landis; parents, Oscar Bell and Laura Boyd Burch Landis; brother, Cecil B. Landis; and sister, Mar­garet A. Landis Carter.

Robert is survived by his children, Robert C. “Robbie” Landis, Jr. (Con­nie) and Donna Landis Smith; grandchildren, Leigh Anne Landis (Brad Phillips), Brandon Kyle Landis (Olivia), Aaron Robert Landis, and Ryan James Landis; and niece, Peggy Carter-Thompson.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, me­morials may be made to Annapolis Avenue Church of Christ, 610 Annapolis Avenue, Sheffield, AL 35660.

Donald Steve James, 71

Donald Steve James, 71, Tuscumbia, passed away on Sunday, May 26, 2024. Visitation will be Thursday, May 30, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Home, Tuscumbia. The funeral service will immediately follow in the funeral home chapel with Kirk Bish­op officiating. Interment will be in Colbert Memo­rial Gardens, Tuscumbia.

Donald was a mem­ber of Westside Bap­tist Church, Tuscumbia. He loved gardening and farming, coaching and playing softball, hunt­ing, and all things out­doors. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Tammy James Norris; parents, Billy Ray and Louise James; and grand­daughter, Kendra Norris.

Donald is survived by his wife, June James; son, Steven James (Re­nea); brother, Larry James (Sharon); and grand­children, Kara James, Kashlyn James, and Mat­thew Norris (Lexia).

Pallbearers will be Steve Lewis, Wade Do­ver, Tim Malone, Ron­nie James, Jason Hub­bert, and Thomas James.

Richard “Rick” Wade Green, 70

Richard “Rick” Wade Green, 70, Muscle Shoals, passed away on Saturday, May 25, 2024. Visitation will be Wednesday, May 29, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Home, Tuscumbia. The funeral service will im­mediately follow in the funeral home chapel with Bro. Greg Beasley offi­ciating. Interment will be in Colbert Memori­al Gardens, Tuscumbia.

Rick was a member of Valley Grove Bap­tist Church. He was a co/owner and operator of Select Auto Sales. Rick was preceded in death by his parents, Olen and Betty Green.

He is survived by his sons, Derrick Wade Green and Mitchell Ryan Green; brother, Steve Green (Teresa); neph­ews; cousins; aunts; un­cles; and a great nephew.

Pallbearers will be Matthew, Jordan, Ty­ler, and Justin Green, John Mitchell, and Mi­chael Knight. Phillip and Chris Palmer, and Brad Phillips will serve as honorary pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, do­nations may be made in Rick’s memory to Valley Grove Baptist Church Children’s Building Fund.

Pauline (Polly) Turley Morgan King, 91

Pauline (Polly) Turley Morgan King, age 91, died peacefully on May 25, 2024, at her home surrounded by family and loved ones. Visitation will be Friday, May 31, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. at Leigh­ton Methodist Church. The funeral service will immediately follow at the church with Bradley Hipps, Mike Rosser, and Roderick Stansky offici­ating. Interment will be in King Cemetery, Leighton.

Polly was born on Jan­uary 11,1933 in Nash­ville, Tennessee. She was the only child of Jesse Seaton Morgan and Fran­ces Brown Morgan. She grew up in Franklin, Ten­nessee. Her mother died when she was 11 years old. Ten years later her father was remarried to Josephine Wilson and she acquired a stepmoth­er and a stepsister, Toot­sie, whom she adored.

Polly attended high school at Ward-Belmont Preparatory School in Nashville. She contin­ued her education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia with a B.A. in English. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.

A few weeks after grad­uation, on June 25,1955, Polly married her high school sweetheart, Jim­my, and moved to El Paso, Texas where he was stationed in the U.S. Army. The following year they returned to Jimmy’s hometown, Leighton, Al­abama, where they resid­ed for the rest of her life. Polly and Jimmy were one month short of be­ing married for 69 years.

Polly lived a good life as a farmer’s wife, mother of 3 daughters, and home­maker until her daughters started college. At the age of 45, she became the librarian at the Leigh­ton Public Library. She worked there for 37 years, (1978-2015), until she was 82 years old. She had a deep devotion to serving the community through the library. She was an avid reader and lover of the written word. Polly had a passion for helping each person find the per­fect book no matter their age. She strove to instill a love for reading in all the young children who came to visit the library. She helped form the Friends of the Library group which took great pride in it’s yearly bake sale to raise money, in which all the best cooks in town con­tributed. She took great joy in her friends, fam­ily and the people she met throughout her life.

Polly was an active member of the Muscle Shoals District Service League and an active and longtime member of the Leighton United Method­ist Church. Polly and Jim­my were instrumental in the founding of the Sad­dle Up for St. Jude Trail Ride, which has raised money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hos­pital for the past 28 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her stepmother. She is survived by her husband, James Briscoe King; her 3 daughters, Ann Jones, Sally (Mike)Rosser, and Allison (John Berkeley) Remsburg; 5 grandchil­dren, Laura Rosser, Mor­gan (Alex) Jones, Jessy Remsburg, James Ross­er, and Rebecca Rems­burg; 1 great-grandson, Brayden Remsburg; and her stepsister, Jo­sephine (Ed) Morton.

Pallbearers will be Mor­gan Jones, James Ross­er, Ben King, Lawrence King, Gordon Fennel, and Rick Preuit. Brayden Remsburg will serve as honorary pallbearer.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to her kind and compassionate caregivers, Kim, Tina, Haley, Robbin, Amanda, and many others over the years that took such wonderful care of her.

Memorials may be giv­en to the Leighton Public Library and Civic Center, 8740 Main Street, Leigh­ton, Alabama 35646.

 

Regina Bradford Thompson, 83

Regina Bradford Thomp­son, 83, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama passed away May 24, 2024. She was born August 30, 1940, to the late Char­lie and Hudie Bradford.

Mrs. Thompson was affec­tionally known to many as Mama Mae or Mae Mae. She was a long-time member of Woodward Avenue Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bob­by Cameron; brothers, Charles E. Bradford, and Jesse C. Bradford; sis­ters, Earline Bradford, and Dorothy Branscome; and in-laws, Sam and Katherine Thompson.

Survivors include her hus­band, Thomas M. Thomp­son; daughters, Beth Fennel (Gordon), Genee Dale (Merle), and Kelli Holt (Randall); grand­children, Cameron Dale, Caroline Wood (Blake), Ben Fennel, Katherine Fennel, Bradford Thrash­er, and Bryce Thrash­er; and great-grand­daughter, Willow Wood.

Visitation will be from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on Tues­day, May 28 at Morrison Funeral Home in Tus­cumbia. The funeral ser­vice will be at 2:00 p.m. directly following the visitation in the funeral home chapel with burial following at Colbert Me­morial Gardens. Chuck Bradford and Shane Swin­ney will be officiating.

Pallbearers will be Ben Fennel, Gordon Fennel, Randall Holt, Bradford Thrasher, Bryce Thrash­er and Blake Wood.

Special thanks to Hospice of North Alabama and Dr. Brad McAnalley for their special care and support.

Memorials may be made to the United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) at 507 N. Hook St., Tuscumbia, AL 35674, or St. Jude Chil­dren’s Research Hospi­tal at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Deborah Darlene Thomas Hayes, 69

Deborah Darlene Thomas Hayes, 69, passed away on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Visitation will be Tues­day, May 28, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Morrison Funeral Home, Tuscum­bia. The funeral service will immediately follow with Ben Hayes and Tra­vis Creasy officiating. Interment will be in Oak­wood Cemetery, Sheffield.

Deborah was a member of River Road Church of Christ. She was preced­ed in death by her par­ents, Edward and Helen Thomas; brothers, Bud­dy, Dennis, Andy, and Edward Thomas, Jr.; and sister, Sandy Boggs.

Deborah is survived by her husband, Phillip Hayes; children, David Hayes (Kristie), Chris Hayes, Amy Hayes Mc­Cluskey (Sammy), and Brian Hayes (Jennifer); brother, Mickey Thom­as; sister, Sheila Whitten; thirteen grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

Raymond Gary Wallace, 77

Raymond Gary Wallace, 77, of Cherokee, passed away Thursday, May 23, 2024. Visitation will be Sunday, May 26, from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. at Allsboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The funeral service will im­mediately follow with Rev. Ryan Young offici­ating. Interment will be in Allsboro Cemetery.

Raymond retired from Muscle Shoals Minerals (UCM Magnesium) after over 40 years. He could easily be found work­ing at Bishop’s BBQ and Farms after retirement and helping any oth­er friend or neighbor in need. He was a member of the Colbert County Farm­er’s Federation Board. Raymond was an avid outdoorsman and sports­man, best known for tur­key hunting and fishing. He was a beloved hunting partner to many and loved the opportunity to take someone on their first tur­key hunt. He was a mem­ber of Allsboro Cumber­land Presbyterian Church.

Raymond was preced­ed in death by his wife, Elsie McVay Wallace; parents, Johnny and Bessie Wallace; and sis­ter, Betty Jane Johnson.

He is survived by his daughter, Heather Kee­ton (Neal), granddaugh­ter, Katelin (his Favorite) Waldrep; brothers, Nel­son Wallace (Carolyn) and Bud Wallace (Bren­da); sisters, Becky Hunt (Dwayne), Jean McCaf­ferty (Roger), and Peggy Posey (Franklin); brother-in-law, Ed Johnson; and a host of nieces, neph­ews, and special friends.

Pallbearers will be Son­ny Blackburn, Luther Bishop, Doug Garrison, Jimmy Tapp, Jeffrey Whitaker, and Anthony Tank. Honorary pallbear­ers are Dexter Waldrep, Malcolm Waldrep, Larry Parker, and Lyn Waldrep.

In lieu of flowers memo­rials may be made to the Allsboro Cemetery Fund, in care of Melanie Hayes, 5965 Allsboro Road, Cherokee, AL 35616.

Patricia Tucker Knotts, 68

Patricia Tucker Knotts, 68, Leighton, passed away on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Visitation will be Sunday, May 26, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. at Cow­boy Church of Colbert County. A memorial ser­vice will immediately follow at the church with Truman Sutton officiating.