Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
5:48 pm Tuesday, October 2, 2001

OBITUARIES FOR TUESDAY, OCT. 2, 2001

By Staff
LENA A. FELTON
Homemaker
Services for Lena A. Felton will be held today at 11 a.m. in Hazel Baptist Church with the Revs. George G. Felton Sr. and Gary L. Felton officiating . Burial will be in Hazel Baptist Church Cemetery north of Lake. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Felton, 97, of Newton County, died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2001, at Conva-Rest in Newton. She was a homemaker and a member of Hazel Baptist Church.
Survivors include her children, Louise Robinson and Marion Felton and his wife, Nora, all of Lawrence, the Rev. George G. Felton and his wife, Sarah, of Collins and the Rev. Gary L. Felton and his wife, Pat, of Indianapolis; 13 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas "Buck" Felton; a son, Thomas Moody Felton; two grandsons, Bobby Robinson and Russ Felton; and a son-in-law, Otto Robinson.
Pallbearers will be her grandchildren.
BOBBIE L. WILLIS
Retired
Graveside services for Bobbie L. Willis will be held today at 2 p.m. at Meridian Memorial Park Cemetery with the Rev. Billie Tolbird officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Willis, 72, of Meridian, died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001 at her home. She was retired from Troy Laundry &Cleaners.
Survivors include three daughters, Cheryl Williamson and her husband, Billy, and Mary Ivy and her husband, Jimmy, all of Meridian and Linda Carney and her husband Buster of Stonewall; six grandchildren, Richard Williamson, Scott Williamson, James Ivy, Josh Ivy, Chad Allen, Kimberly Allen, Amy Boykin and Megan Carney; four great-grandchildren, Kaleb Ivy, Taylor Williamson, Bailey Williamson and William Combs; a sister, Joyce Smith and her husband, Jack, of Meridian; her sister-in-law, Mary Lou Martin of Balwin, Ga.; her brother-in-law, Joe Willis and his wife, Merrill of Oxford; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard L. Willis.
Pallbearers will be her five grandsons.
ELLA RUTH BOLER
Homemaker
UNION Graveside services for Ella Ruth Boler will be held today at 3 p.m. at Neshoba Baptist Church with Johnny Collins and Warren Hedgepeth officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Boler, 61, of Union, died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001, at Laird Hospital. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Arlin Boler of Union; two daughters, Glenda Goforth and her husband, R.L. Goforth and Vinita Parker, both of Union; a son, Ricky Boler and his wife, Tanya, of Conehatta; three sisters, Ruby Walters of Decatur, Etoile Goss of Dixon and Martha Bane of Dewitt, Ark.; two brothers, Miller Nicholson and Earl Nicholson, both of Dallas, Texas; and eight grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Allison Nicole.
Visitation will be held prior to the service at the funeral home.
JAMES W. HASTINGS
Retired master mechanic
Services for James W. "Billy" Hastings will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Webb Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Malcom Lewis officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.
Mr. Hastings, 74, of Newton County, died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2001, at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was a retired master mechanic and a member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Hero. He was a veteran of World War II, where he served with H and S Company in the 252nd Engineer Combat Battalion in Berlin, Germany.
Survivors include two sisters, Virginia Harris and Peggy Davis of Meridian; two brothers, Bonna L. Hastings of Den Haag, Netherlands and John E. Hastings of Meridian; a step-daughter, Connie R. Bennett of Tuscaloosa; a step-son, Edgar R. Rigdon Jr., of Meridian; four step-grandchildren; a step-great-grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James A. Hastings and Bonnie Hastings; his wife, Frances R. Hastings; two brothers, Calvin R. and Joe H. Hastings; and a step-son, Tommy Rigdon.
Pallbearers will be Harry Hastings, Daniel Hastings, John E. Hastings Jr., Jim Allen Dial, Bill Bolton and Jimmy Coker.
Honorary pallbearers will be nurses and staff of the Veterans Administration Nursing Home in Tuscaloosa.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
SHIRLEY A. KNAPP
A memorial service for Shirley A. Knapp will be held Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at Andrew Chapel Methodist Church with the Rev. Barry Skelton officiating. Barham Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mrs. Knapp, 64, of Meridian, died Saturday, Sept. 29, 2001, at Rush Foundation Hospital. She was employed with Magnolia Realty prior to her illness.
Survivors include two daughters, Annette Welty and Constance Beal; a son, James V. Knapp; a brother, James L. Lang; two granddaughters; and a grandson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John L. Lang and Lorene McNeel Lang. The family requests memorials be made to the American Cancer Society.

Also on Franklin County Times
LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY
Franklin County, Main, News, ...
Retirement brings an end to one chapter of school
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
April 22, 2026
THARPTOWN – Over the past 21 years, Tharptown schools have seen a plethora of changes as students and teachers alike come and go and the education lan...
Investigator details charges in child porn case
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
April 22, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Details from an interview between Abigail Roberts and an investigator regarding the child pornography and sodomy charges against the 22...
Generational investment has regional impact
Columnists, Opinion
April 22, 2026
On March 20 we marked the beginning of something truly significant, not just for one community, but for all of north Alabama. The announcement of a $2...
Broadway salute takes stage April 23-26
Columnists, News
HERE AND NOW
April 22, 2026
“The Roxy’s Salute to Broadway” will be held April 23-26 at the historic Roxy Theatre in downtown Russellville. The production features music from fiv...
RHS softball goes 3-1 in NW Alabama Bash
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
Brannon King For the FCT 
April 22, 2026
The Russellville High softball team went 4-2 during a week of games that included participation in the Northwest Alabama Bash at the Sportsplex in Flo...
Red Bay wins 3 of 4; Tharptown wins 2
Belgreen Bulldogs, High School Sports, News, ...
Bart Moss For the FCT 
April 22, 2026
RedBayandTharptown led the way last week in softball with Red Bay winning 3 of 4 games and Tharptown earning a couple of big wins, downing Phil Campbe...
Competitive eater completes challenge
News, Russellville
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
April 22, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — A local restaurant is getting attention after a competitive eater finished a massive meal with just seconds to spare, turning a simple ...
$4.2M paving project nears end
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 22, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The final phase of a $4.2 million paving project funded through a Rebuild Alabama grant is nearing completion, marking the end of a lar...

Leave a Reply

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