Obituaries for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2018

Published 12:22 am Thursday, September 13, 2018

VERNELL CRAIG

Mr. Vernell Craig, 72, of Andalusia, passed away Mon., Sep. 10, 2018, at Andalusia Hospital.

Vernell was born in the Buck Creek community of Red Level on April 29, 1946, he was the sixth child of Wesley Nelson Craig and Amy Lois Linzy Craig. He graduated from Red Level High School in 1964, and while there, he enjoyed playing football and basketball. After his parents moved to Andalusia, he would ride his bicycle to River Falls each day to catch the school bus so he could finish with his Red Level classmates. He was always a Red Level Tiger.

Following high school, like so many others, he was called to service in the Vietnam War. He went through basic training with the U.S. Army and spent a year in Vietnam where he received a purple heart. When he was injured, his parents received a telegram regarding his injury and news soon spread that his parents had received word that he had been killed in action. He was touched by the ones who were so kind to his parents and his family at that time and remembered it often.

He met Flora Lawrence on a blind date and the two were married on May 23, 1969. He retired from the State of Alabama Department of Revenue in October 2009 and both have enjoyed traveling during their retirement.

Following his return from Vietnam, his marriage, and the birth of his first son, he entered college by attending LBW Community College on the GI Bill. He later completed his bachelor’s of science degree in business from Troy State University.

Vernell was a member of Stanley Avenue Church of Christ and served many roles for the congregation such as Bible class teacher, song leader, and treasurer.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Fri., Sep. 14, 2018, from Foreman Funeral Home Chapel with Minister Luke Moyer and Minister Ben May officiating the service, interment will follow in South Church of God Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m., Thursday at Foreman Funeral Home.

He is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Flora Lawrence Craig; two sons, Michael Craig and Mark Craig; one brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Dianne Craig; and sisters-in-law, Faye Craig and Pearl Craig Dewrell.

He is preceded in death by one sister, Doris Craig Scroggins; and brothers, Henry, Cecil, Bobby and Charles Craig.

Pallbearers will be Mike Craig, Mark Craig, James Morrow, Chris Clark, Kenny C. Craig, Jeremy Craig and Jarrod Craig.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Tom Findley, Creigh Z. Purnell, and members of the Class of 1964 of Red Level High School.

The family will accept flowers or memorials may be made to the Red Level School Library, 28551 Barrow Road, Red Level, Ala., 36474.

Those unable to attend the services may sign the guest registry online at www.foremanfuneralhome.com.

 

JAMES ALBERT SIMS

Mr. James Albert Sims, age 90, of Red Level, passed away on Tue., Sep. 11, 2018, at Andalusia Hospital.

A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Thu., September 13, 2018, at Foreman Funeral Home with Brother Daniel Marler officiating the service, interment will follow in New Home Cemetery in McKenzie. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Foreman Funeral Home.

He is survived by his wife, Jeneace Sims of Red Level; children, Larry (Gaylen) Sims of Red Level, Alvin (Brenda) Sims of Red Level, Kelly (Jerome) Armstrong of Red Level, Angela York of Andalusia, Pamela (Jerry) Bond of Andalusia, and Calvin (Heather) York of Birmingham; 19 grandchildren; 36 great grandchildren; and sister and brother-in-law, Faye and George Fabian of Dothan.

He is preceded in death by his son Steve Sims and a grandchild.

Those unable to attend the services may sign the guest registry online at www.foremanfuneralhome.com.

 

LONNIE LEE SCOTT

Mr. Lonnie Lee Scott, 89, a resident of Ozark, died Mon., Sep. 10, 2018.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m., Thu., Sep. 13, 2018, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home and Cremations in Ozark with Reverend David Lewis officiating. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memory Gardens, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home in Ozark Thursday from 9:30 a.m., until service time.

Mr. Scott was born Dec. 12, 1928, in Covington County, to the late Jessie James Scott and Mandy Louise Bryant Scott. Mr. Scott served in the United States Army.

He has lived in Ozark since 1970 where he was a foreman with Black Industries for eighteen years and Hargett Contractors until his retirement in 1992. He was of the Assembly of God faith.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of sixty years, Amanda Inez Pate Scott; two sisters, Bertha Boyett and Minnie Petty; three brothers, Clifton Scott, Grover Scott, and Richard Scott.

Survivors include two daughters, Lynn Smith (Roger), Becky Dunn (Ricky) all of Ozark; four grandchildren, Christy Lane (David), Joey Smith (Nicole), Jason Dunn (Kayce), Katie Baker (Brian); six great grandchildren, Evan Dunn, Brittany Lane, Little David Lane, Adriana Smith, Eyan Smith, and Jacob Mittelbach; two sisters, Lillie Barnes and Merle Tanner. Several nieces and nephews also survive.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Libby’s Light Shines, Inc., P.O. Box 10557, Dothan, Alabama 36304.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HolmanFuneralHome.com

Jerry D. Hall

Mr. Jerry D. Hall, of Andalusia, at the age of 84, was called Home by his Lord on September 7, 2018, at Florala Nursing Home where he had resided for a little over five years. Jerry was born January 19, 1934.

A “Celebration of Life” ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, September 13, 2018, with the Rev. Tim Morgan officiating. A visitation will be held Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. at Foreman Funeral Home Chapel.

He is preceded in death by his father, Horace Clifton Hall; his mother, Rawleen Frances Stringer of Prichard; and his first wife, Laurie Hamiter -Hall of Andalusia.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Patton-Hall of Andalusia; one son, Roy C. Hall of Las Vegas, Nevada; his cousins, Rawleen (Lee) Lawshe of Eight Mile, Alabama, Linda (Douglas) Demlow of Navarre, Florida; stepchildren, Mike Patton and his wife, Ginny, and grandson, Russell, of Birmingham, and Angie Kelley and her husband, Kevin, and grandson, Cole, of Brewton.

Born and raised in Prichard, Alabama, Jerry quickly became known to many in that area as “Buddy.”

Jerry graduated from Auburn University School of Pharmacy, returning to Mobile to work in the pharmacy of the Mobile Infirmary when he met and married Laurie Hamiter, moving shortly after to Andalusia, her home, where they had one son, Roy. Jerry and his family immediately became active in the community and First Baptist Church. Jerry then became a Gideon. One of his first places of employment was at the Village Pharmacy.

Around 1980 he opened his own drug store known to all as –“The Corner Drug,” for approximately 11 years and even after the sale of his own drug store, he continued pharmacy work at local drug stores until he went under contract with Fred’s Drug Stores, traveling and doing fill-in pharmaceutical work until February of 2011.

Jerry and Sally Patton were married in November 2007. He continued to do fill-in pharmacy work with Fred’s, and one of his favorite pastimes quickly became playing baseball and football in the yard with his two newly-acquired grandsons, Cole Kelley and Russell Price.

As a veteran pharmacist for 54 plus years, he not only mastered in treating each customer with ultimate respect but as an added bonus, each customer was greeted in ‘personalized’ song of a variety of genres. Loving both every single minute of his work, and being out there with the people of the community, he never missed an opportunity to keep the drug-store doors opened in compassion for a customer’s emergency, especially if a child was involved.

He acquired many titles—his closer male friends call him simply—“Hall.” His Sunday school class knew him as “The Imperial President.” Through the years many labeled him as “Dr. Hall.”

Jerry Hall will long be remembered for his unmatched whit and humorous stories. If you had the time, he always had a story. He enjoyed meeting with his closest group of friends on Thursday evenings when they could eat out together. He enjoyed entertaining them as well as looking forward to being entertained.

One thing most of his friends knew was that his favorite spot on the map was Maine, where he could never visit enough. Being an avid sports nut and fan, he followed his teams faithfully— football, ‘his’ Auburn Tigers, standing prepared to good-naturedly defend them against his verbally abusive “Alabama” buddies. In baseball, ‘his’ Cardinals and golf, loving the game and the times on the course with his friends. Whenever you drove by his home, you might see him in the front yard diligently getting a little sun and practicing his swing at the imaginary golf ball, his favorite pastime. He admired his favorite golfer, the gentleman— Arnold Palmer.

Jerry Hall touched the lives of many of all ages through the years with his charisma, taking time to encourage and inspire along the way. He was a tender hearted, generous gentleman who demonstrated to the world how to love and care, never apologizing for being emotional.

The public may not know Jerry once aspired to be a sports writer, and an English instructor, but the truth be known, ‘pharmacy’ is exactly where the Lord chose to use him…AND…used him well. Jerry Hall will be greatly missed.

Honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Andrews, Joe Davis, Wayne Johnson, Danny Posey, Bill Rabren, Ed Short, Bill Thigpen.

Audience will be invited to participate with sharing individual stories of humor or endearment involving Jerry D. Hall’s life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests bibles to be purchased through the Gideons to further the Kingdom of God.

Those unable to attend the services may sign the guest registry online at www.foremanfuneralhome.com.