Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
11:51 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Obituaries for Wednesday, July 30, 2003

By Staff
Homemaker
BUTLER, Ala. Graveside services for Hazel Cowles Smith will be held today at 11 a.m. at Mt. Sterling Cemetery in Sterling, Ala., with the Rev. John Pemberton officiating. Bumpers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Smith, 94, of Butler, formerly of Sterling, died Monday, July 28, 2003, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include her sons, Julian "Buddy" Smith and Ed Smith and his wife, Jamie, of Meridian; sisters, May Avgoustis Smith and her husband, Stan, of Oceanside, Calif., and Dorothy Berdeaux of Columbus, Ga.; nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Julian P. Smith; four brothers, three sisters and one great-grandchild.
NICEVILLE, Fla. Services for Alice V. Shoemaker will be held today at 3 p.m. at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home with the Rev. Robert Hume officiating. Further services will take place in Jackson with burial in Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery. Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home of Jackson in charge of those arrangements.
Mrs. Shoemaker, 90, of Bluewater Bay, Fla., died Sunday, July 27, 2003. She was born in Charleston and also lived in Meridian and Jackson.
Survivors include her sons, William Shoemaker and his wife, Sally, of San Francisco and Richard Shoemaker of Niceville; and a daughter, Susan Hume and her husband, Bob, of Niceville.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William Millard Shoemaker.
Memorials may be made to Covenant Hospice or to the William and Alice Shoemaker Scholarship Fund at the University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 249, University, MS 38677.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Retired
Graveside services for Louis George Abel will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at Center Grove Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Parker Chancellor officiating. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Abel, 84, of Meridian, died Thursday, July 24, 2003, in his home. He was a member of Center Grove Baptist Church. He was retired from the U.S. Army.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth Harriet Abel; a son, Wayne Douglas; a daughter, Linda Abel; and a sister, Joanne Culpepper, all of Meridian; and two grandchildren.
Retired
Graveside services for Bonnie Frances Vincent Hudson will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Douglas Stone officiating. Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hudson, 83, of Meridian, died Tuesday, July 29, 2003, in Meridian.
Survivors include her daughter, Sheryl Feltenstein of Meridian; a son, Billy Hudson and his wife, Pam, of Atlanta; grandchildren, Billy Hudson Jr., Donna Barthes, Leigh Ann Kernop, Phil Ray and Dan Ray; and great-grandchildren, Hudson Barthes and Morgan Hudson.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William F. Hudson.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church in Meridian.
Visitation will be Thursday 10 a.m.-10:45 a.m. at the funeral home.
Naheola Credit Union secretary
BUTLER, Ala. Services for Estell Byrd McCrary will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Bumpers Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Steve Bruce officiating. Burial will be in Rest Haven Cemetery.
Mrs. McCrary, 77, of Pennington, Ala., died Monday, July 28, 2003, in her home.
Survivors include her daughters, Pamela McCrary Odom and her husband, Phil, of Campbell, Ala., Cathy V. McCrary of Pell City, Ala., and Susan Spurgeon of Tumwater, Wash.; brothers, Ray Byrd, Eddis Byrd and Donald Byrd, all of Mobile, Ala.; sisters, Elizabeth Harris of Saraland, Ala., and Edna Hannah of Orange Beach, Fla.; seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Visitation will be Thursday 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Retired saw filer
PHILADELPHIA Services for Travis Drury will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at Mars Hill Pentecostal Church in Winston County with the Rev. Franklin Smith and Sister Kitty Hale officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. McClain-Hays Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Drury, 63, of Carriere, died Monday, July 28, 2003, at Crosby Memorial Hospital in Picayune.
Survivors include his wife, Sandra Drury of Carriere; daughters, Renee Riley of Columbia and Lynn Drury of New Orleans; sons, Russell Drury and Shane Drury, both of Carriere; two grandchildren; his mother, Nona Drury of Noxapater; sisters, Bernice Sisson, Clytee Manning and Mavis Eakes, all of Philadelphia, Linda Fortune of Koscuisko and Sherry Clay of Noxapater; brothers, Douglas Drury of Noxapater and Jerry Drury of Philadelphia.
Visitation will be today 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at McDonald Funeral Home in Picayune and Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church.
Retired roofing applicator
Private memorial services for Terry "Mitchell" Todd are planned. The Rev. Frank Thomas will officiate. James F. Webb Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Thomas, 55, of Meridian, died Monday, July 28, 2003, in his home.
Survivors include his wife, Judy Todd; a daughter, Suzette Davis; a son, Michael Todd; a sister, Joyce Faucette; a brother, Vernon Todd; and several nieces and nephews, all of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene Debs and Inez Todd; and brothers, W.L. Todd and Bobby Todd.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Visitation will be today 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Homemaker
WINTER PARK, Fla. Services for Jeannette D. Ellsworth will be held Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. at Raymond Memorial Baptist Church. National Cremation Society is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Ellsworth, 78, of Haines City, Fla., died Thursday, July 24, 2003, at Heart of Florida Hospital. She was a member of Raymond Memorial Baptist Church in Fairport, N.Y.
Survivors include her husband, James L. Ellsworth; sons, Garry J. Ellsworth and his wife, Sissy, Norman A. Ellsworth and his wife, Maryann, and Donald Ellsworth and his wife, Karen; daughters, Sharon Ellsworth-Budd and Melissa Wasserman and her husband, Ben; nine grandchildren, Kimberly, Matthew, Timothy, Steven, Brian and Gregory Ellsworth, Rachel and Phillip Wasserman and Kristina Budd.
Memorials may be made to the Diabetes Foundation.
Arrangements were incomplete at Berry and Gardner Funeral Home for Quennie Smith, 93, of Meridian, who died Monday, July 28, 2003, at Rush Foundation Hospital.

Also on Franklin County Times
Waterpark opens amid repairs, planned upgrades
Main, News, Red Bay, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
May 27, 2026
RED BAY — The Red Bay Waterpark has opened for the season with city officials approving fee increases and planning for upgrades following a record att...
Oliver secures his fifth term as sheriff
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree, Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
May 27, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Incumbent Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver will remain in office for at least four more years after he overwhelmingly won re-elec...
Repairs are approved for PC Fire Engine 2
News, Phil Campbell
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
May 27, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — Councilmembers have approved up to $2,500 in repairs for a malfunctioning water tank gauge on Engine 2. Fire Chief Andy Marbutt said t...
Why every law that’s made is a moral choice
Columnists, Opinion
May 27, 2026
When the debate over vice laws, those governing drugs, gambling, or pornography, reaches the halls of our Legislature, a familiar, hollow cry rings ou...
Roxy presents ‘Murder in the Magnolias’
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
By Susie Hovater Malone Columnist 
May 27, 2026
One of the things I enjoy most about being involved with the historic Roxy Theatre is watching local people come together to create something fun for ...
TVA stays ‘in lockstep’ with energy needs
News
By Anthony Campbell For the FCT 
May 27, 2026
GUNTERSVILLE — Tennessee Valley Authority interim CEO Mike Skaggs knows that as north Alabama grows in population, so too will the demand for more ele...
Clark unseats Adcox for coroner’s post
News, Russellville
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
May 27, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Jeff Clark defeated incumbent Charles Adcox in the Republican primary for Franklin County coroner Tuesday night, winning 75.25% of the ...
Runoff for D-1 commission race is June 16
News, Russellville
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
May 27, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Residents of District 1 will have to wait a little longer to learn who their representative on the Franklin County Commission will be a...

Leave a Reply

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