BERTIE MAE (CUMBIE) WINGARD

Bertie Mae (Cumbie) Wingard died July 27, 2010, in Battle Creek, Mich.

She was born August 27, 1926, to Henry and Ada (Baxter) Cumbie in Chipley, Fla. She married William Wingard on March 7, 1951. Over the years, she lived in Tampa, Riverview and Venice, Fla.; Ohio; Jackson, Miss.; Opp, and spent her final years in Battle Creek, Mich.

She worked most of her life with Hav-A-Tampa Cigar Company in Tampa and Michigan Seed Company in Jackson, Miss.

She enjoyed sewing, fishing and reading, but mostly she enjoyed being a mother and grandmother.

She is survived by two sons, Clarence Cumbie of Opp and Richard (Sharon) Wingard of Battle Creek, Mi.; a daughter, Sheila (Larry) Guisinger of Sarasota, Fla.; three sisters: Beth Hodnett, Dorothy Oliver and Grace Cumbie, all of Florida; 12 grand children and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.

Graveside services will be Tues., Aug. 3, at 10 a.m. at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park in Riverview, Fla.

GRADY LAWRENCE MCNEILL

Mr. Grady Lawrence McNeill, age 87, of Andalusia died Thurs., July 29, 2010, at his home after an extended illness.

Funeral services for Mr. McNeill will be held on Mon., Aug. 2, at 11 a.m., from Foreman Funeral Home Chapel.

The Rev. Alfred Ikner will officiate. Interment will be in the Andalusia Memorial Cemetery.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Mrs. Beverly McNeill of Andalusia; a daughter, Shirley McNeill of Andalusia; three grandchildren, Chris McNeill of Andalusia, Amanda Smith of Andalusia, and Lance McNeill of Florala; four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; a brother, Carlisle Jones and wife, Betty of Jacksonville, Fla.; and sister, Radie Welch of Mobile.

Mr. McNeill was preceded in death by his son, Danny McNeill.

Mr. McNeill and his wife moved to Florala from Hartford in the mid-1940s and started McNeill Concrete.

Three years later he moved to Andalusia and opened a concrete plant here in Andalusia.

In 1952, he received the franchise form Wilbert Burial Vaults out of Chicago and started manufacturing Wilbert Burial vaults, covering an area of 21 counties in Alabama and Northwest Florida from Clanton all the way to the Gulf Coast.

Today, McNeill, Inc., is still owned and operated by Mr. McNeill’s family and provides concrete, burial vaults, septic tank systems and other concrete-related products from plants in Montgomery, Andalusia and Florala.

In addition to his passion for hard work, Mr. McNeill was an avid walking horse breeder, trainer and showman.

He joined the Tennessee Walking Horse Association in 1977 and was one of its oldest members.

He has owned several world champion walking horses through the years and has won many honors with his horses.

In 2009, he owned and showed a World Grand Champion and two Reserve World Grand Champions.

Mr. McNeill was a member of the Wilbert Burial Vault Manufacturers Association, the National Burial Vault Association, the National Ready Mix Association, the Alabama Walking Horse Association, the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association and the Alabama Waste Water Board.

Mr. McNeill semi-retired several years back, but always stayed active in the business until his health forced him to completely retire a few years ago.

Pallbearers will be Larry Stewart, Randy Wright, Johnny Stewart, Carl Davis, Max Matthews and Tex Smith.

The body will lie in state at 5 p.m., Sunday at Foreman Funeral Home.

Family and friends unable to attend may sign the online registry at foremanfuneralhome.com.