Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
9:19 am Wednesday, March 14, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2001

By Staff
SHIRLEY L. BURT
Homemaker
Services for Shirley L. Burt will be held Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Bill Webb and Dr. Raymon Leake officiating. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Mrs. Burt, 63, of Meridian, died Monday, March 12, 2001, at Riley Hospital. She was a member of "The Burt Sisters" who performed on the Grand Ole Opry. Mrs. Burt was one of the founding members of the original Jimmie Rodgers Festival.
Survivors include her father, Leo Burt of Meridian; a brother, Tommy Burt of Hermanston, Ore.; two sisters, Lynn Jarrell of Kentucky and Linda Coker of Corinth; a special friend, Carolyn Cumberland of Meridian; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews; and an aunt, Jewel Brown of Collinsville.
Pallbearers will be Randy Stewart, Joe MacWilliams, John Gleber, Larry Bond, Marvin Weir and Gene Brown.
Visitation will be today from 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
EVVA GIBBON CALDWELL SWEARINGEN
Homemaker
NEWTON Services for Evva Gibbon Caldwell Swearingen will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church with the Revs. Winnie McMahon and Leon Everett officiating. Burial will be in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery with James F. Webb Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Swearingen, 101, died Monday, March 12, 2001, at Guardian Angel Hospice in Meridian. She was a member of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sons, Donald Caldwell of DeRidder, La., and Bobby Caldwell of Hickory; a sister, Lora Childre of Rio Dell, Calif.; three stepsons, James Swearingen of Hickory, Paul Swearingen of Suqualena and David Swearingen of Mobile, Ala.; four stepdaughters, Sarah Sellers of Russell, Martha Swearingen of Meridian, Mary Harris of Mobile and Ruth Gressett of Fairhope, Ala.; four grandsons, Jimmy Caldwell, Donnie Caldwell, Charlie Caldwell of Louisiana and Kenny Caldwell of Florida; two granddaughters, Ann Berglund of Michigan and Betty Caldwell of Louisiana; 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Julia Everett Gibbon; her husbands, Clarence Caldwell and the Rev. O.V. Swearingen; a son, Carl Caldwell; and two stepdaughters, Miriam Taylor and Zelma Craig.
Pallbearers will be Bobby Pugh, Pat Pugh, Billy Gibbon, Joe Gibbon, James Otis Swearingen and W.A. Todd.
Honorary pallbearer will be Lee Hearn.
Visitation will be today from 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home and 30 minutes prior to the service at the church.
DOROTHY COOPER DRINKWINE
Retired from Newton Company
NEWTON Graveside services for Dorothy Cooper Drinkwine will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Masonic Cemetery with the Rev. Gus Merritt officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Drinkwine, 79, of Newton, died Tuesday, March 13, 2001, at Conva-Rest Nursing Home. She was like a mother to her brother and sister.
Survivors include a sister, Peggy Chapman and a brother, Jerry Cooper, both of Newton; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Drinkwine.
Visitation will be Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
JOHN BOURGEOIS
UNION Services for John Bourgeois will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Milling Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Lin Chesney and Chris Wells officiating. Burial will be in Center Ridge Cemetery.
Mr. Bourgeois of Decatur died Monday, March 12, 2001, in Decatur. He was a veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Bourgeois of Decatur; three sons, Matthew Monk of Birmingham, England, Carroll Bourgeois and Eddie Bourgeois, both of Homa, La.; three stepdaughters, Lelia Andersen of Albany, N.Y., Christy Allen of Meehan and Teresa Swanner of Little Rock; two stepsons, Phil Garrison and William Garrison of Decatur; 23 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Wayne Bourgeois.
Visitation will be today from 5-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
GLADYS B. COLE
Day care teacher
Services for Gladys B. Cole will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at New Hope Methodist Church in DeKalb with the Revs. James Curtis Roland officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Clark's Memorial Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Cole, 73, of DeKalb, died Monday, March 12, 2001, at Riley Hospital.
Survivors include two daughters, Brenda Pickens and her husband, Willie, of DeKalb and Glossie Pickett and her husband, David, of Fort Benning, Ga.; two sons, George Cole Jr. of Memphis, Tenn. and Elmer Cole of DeKalb; three sisters, Ruthie Roland and her husband, Curtis, of Meridian and Mary Couch and her husband, Odell, of San Antonio, Texas and Dorothy Lewis of Tulsa, Okla.; two brothers, Lee Arthur Crawford and his wife, Mamie, of Tulsa and Edward Crawford of Illinois; and nine grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, George Wesley Cole and a daughter, Emma Clark.
Visitation will be Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at the funeral home and Friday one hour prior to the service at the church.
EDWARD MCKEE
Arrangements were incomplete at Barham Funeral Home for Edward McKee, 79, who died Tuesday, March 13, 2001, at Benchmark Health Care.

Also on Franklin County Times
2 Bear Creek areas under fish advisories
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Bernie Delinski For the FCY 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The 2026 Alabama Fish Consumption Advisories recommends not consuming largemouth bass taken from two areas of Franklin County due to me...
$2.85M contract OK’d for new library
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Construction of a new public library moved a step closer to reality last week as the city council approved a $2.85 million construction...
D-1 Commissioner Baker ready to make an impact
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — When Curtis Baker is sworn in as Franklin County District 1 commissioner in November, he plans to hit the ground running on day one. Af...
Advocacy center gets $3.5K from county
Franklin County, News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County commissioners recently increased its annual support for the Cramer Children’s Advocacy from $500 to $3,500. Speaking du...
Alabama should honor decision of Lee’s jury
Columnists, Opinion
June 24, 2026
Jeffery Lee has been on Alabama’s death row for over two decades. He was convicted of a terrible crime — the murder of two people at a pawn shop outsi...
Preparations begin for 250th celebration
Columnists, Franklin County, News, ...
HERE AND NOW
June 24, 2026
As our country prepares for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, communities across the nation are planning activi...
History lessons come to life for couple
Franklin County, News
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
For years, first grade teacher Emily Tucker Hodges read novels set in ancient Greece and Rome and imagined what those places might have looked like. T...
Rescue dog finds a second purpose
News
By Ella Seaton For the FCT 
June 24, 2026
TUSCUMBIA — Once living on the streets in Muscle Shoals, a pup rescued in Colbert County has found a new life in New England as a comfort canine for t...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *