Obituaries week of May 24
Patricia Faye Boyett
Falkville
Funeral service for Patricia Faye Boyett, 82, was held Wednesday, May 17,
2023 at 11 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Gerald Case
officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was held in Valhermoso
Holiness Cemetery. Miss Boyett died Monday, May 15, 2023, at Summerford Nursing Home. She was born May 11, 1941, in Morgan County, to Oliver D. Boyett and Gladys
Leoma West Boyett. She was a former employee of Gray Telephone, where she worked on the
assembly line. Patricia was a good-hearted person. She never had children of
her own, but she loved her siblings’ grandchildren as her own. She loved to
cook and to shop. She attended the Valhermoso Holiness Church. Preceding her in death were her parents, a brother, Stanley Boyett and a sister, Ann Smith. Survivors include sister, Glenda Wilson (Walter); several nieces and nephews. Pallbearers were Alan Reed, Dustin Worley, Josh Kelly, Dwight Edwards, Correy Morrow and Tony Lee. Honorary pallbearers were Michael Trosper, Joel Wilson and Walter Wilson.
Karen Cooper
Athens
Funeral service for Karen Cooper, 59, was held Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at
3 p.m. at Valhermoso Holiness Church with Bro. Tim Patrick officiating and
Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was held in Valhermoso Holiness
Cemetery. Mrs. Cooper died Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Athens Hospital. She was born
Saturday, April 18, 1964, in Marshall County, to Robert Lee Crowe and Mabel
Othell Hopkins. She loves online gaming, going out to eat with family and just spending time
with loved ones. She worked for Dollar General for more than 10 years. She
was employed at Intergraph in the IT department, prior to her passing. Preceding her in death were five siblings, Johnny Crowe, Rita Smith, Charles Crowe, Francis Brown and Bobby Crowe and her parents. Survivors include husband, Mike Cooper; sons, Ronnie Dale Johnson and Rusty Johnson; stepson, Will Cooper; daughter, Ashley Terry (Jacob); brothers, Larry Joe Crowe, Ricky Crowe (Pam), and Greg Crowe (Judy); sisters, Brenda Petty (Bob), Patty Adams (Jerry), andLazelle Smith (Norton). Pallbearers were Johnny Smith, Michael Smith, Mathew Crowe, Lee Crowe,
Bodie Adams and Wayne Crowe. Honorary pallbearer was Daniel Jacobs. In lieu of flowers the family requests, please make donations to the Alabama Kidney Foundation.
Billy Wayne Harris
Falkville
Funeral service for Billy Wayne Harris, 74, was held Friday, May 19, 2023 ,at
1 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was held in the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo. Mr. Harris died on Friday, May 12, 2023, at his residence. He was born January 19, 1949, in Morgan County, to Virgil Leldon Harris and Bertha
Lucille Roy Harris. He was self-employed as a tradesman and if you needed anything, he was the go-to man. He was loved by many and will truly be missed. He was a
veteran of the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War.
Billy enjoyed collecting clocks, antiques and old coins. He was preceded in death by parents, a brother, E.V. Harris; a sister, Ann Stone; a granddaughter, Nicole Jernigan and his ex-wife, Jewel Harris. Survivors include sons, Jeff Harris, Somerville, and Joey Harris, Decatur; daughters, Christie Pruitt, Somerville, Cindy Bell, Madison, Charlotte Pointer, Decatur, and
Tabitha Harris, Falkville; sisters, Faye Hogan, Cabot, Ark., Louise Scott, Somerville and
Patsy Henderson, Cullman; five grandchildren, Taylor, Eden, Leah, Ty and Kalisha; and four great-grandchildren.
Freddie Anders
Hartselle
Visitation for Freddie Anders, 58, of Hartselle, was held Thursday, May 18,
2023, from 6-8 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home. A graveside service was
held Sunday, May 21, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Falkville City Cemetery with
Perry Brown officiating. Mr. Anders died May 15, 2023, at his residence. He was born January 25,
1965, in Morgan County to Fred Alton Anders, Sr., and Connie Brown Anders.
Mr. Anders was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors Include two sisters,
Sabrina Anders Holmes (Ronnie) and Martha Ellen Anders; nieces,
Jessica Steward (Printerson) and Abrey Holmes; nephew, Jackson Anders Jones (Lindsey);
great nieces, Hattie Grace Steward and Hannah Fay Steward.
Lynn Curry Fowler
Decatur
Lynn Curry Fowler, 90, of Decatur, passed away May 17, 2023. Born in
Fort Worth, Texas, September 6, 1932 to the late Genevieve and Lynn A.
Fowler, he is survived by his wife of 64 years, Anne; three sons, Lynn E.
(Candace), Brian S. (Kelli), and Michael C.; one daughter, Elizabeth Anne
(Bethanne) Taylor; six grandchildren, Lauren Sharp Gavin (Dan), Rachael Mix
(Taylor), Wilson Coe (Coe) Taylor and Camden Hardwick (Cam) Taylor, Harrison
Ples Graham and Spencer Webb Graham, and four great grandchildren, Leona
Park, Aubrey Mix, Karson Mix, and Piper Mix. Lynn was also survived by his
sisters, Mary Kay Griffin and Ann Miles (Herb), and was predeceased by a
son, Christopher David; sister, Flora Jane Parker; brother, Richard; and
brothers in law, Gene Griffin and John Parker.
In his youth, Lynn and his family moved several times, from Fort Worth to
San Antonio, Texas, Pierre, South Dakota, Chicago, Illinois and then
Moultrie, Georgia. He took to Moultrie, starring in several sports at
Moultrie High School, including football, and he set passing records as the
Packers’ quarterback that stood for over 20 years. He was inducted into the
Colquitt County, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Lynn began college at Mercer College (now Mercer University) before
transferring to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta where he
graduated in 1956. At Tech, Lynn discovered one of his all-time favorite
places, The Varsity. Lynn’s and Anne’s first date was at The Varsity, and
any trip to Atlanta required a stop on North Avenue for chili dogs-usually
including a box (or two) to go.
Lynn began his career at Southern Bell Telephone Company (now AT&T) in
Atlanta. As he moved up the corporate ladder, Lynn and Anne moved from
Atlanta to Columbus, Georgia and Americus, Georgia with their growing
family. In 1965, in a fateful move, Southern Bell transferred Lynn to
Decatur, and the family took up residence on Pennylane. With all
of the places that Lynn had lived, Decatur finally felt like home, and he
lived in Decatur for the remainder of his life.
Shortly after moving to Decatur, Lynn met two great Decatur leaders, Barrett
Shelton, Sr. and John Caddell, who became his mentors. Those two men
sparked Lynn’s passion for the City of Decatur and civic causes that became
his north star. When he took on a cause, it was not a casual effort. At
various times, he was President of the Decatur City Council PTA, Decatur
Junior Achievement Board of Directors, and Decatur Chamber of Commerce. He
was Chairman of the Decatur Planning Commission. He chaired the Morgan
County United Way twelve times. He was also an elder at the First
Presbyterian Church and a member of the Board of Directors of the Delano
Park Foundation.
One of Lynn’s greatest passions was the Decatur Kiwanis Club, of which he
was a member for over 50 years, and he of course served as president. He
loved the annual Pancake Day fundraiser and was regularly the top seller of
tickets to that event. He loved strapping on the apron and flipping
pancakes every year.
Through Kiwanis, Lynn discovered the Alabama Sheriff Boys Ranch and
especially the young men that it served. He took on the cause of the Morgan
County Boys Ranch residents with his usual zeal.
Another important cause for Lynn was local economic development. He served
on the Board of Directors of the Morgan County Economic Development
Association from 1978-2014. True to form, he was also chairman of that
organization for most of that tenure. Lynn’s desire to bring good paying
jobs to Decatur took him all over the United States and even halfway across
the world, traveling to Japan on behalf of the EDA in the successful efforts
to recruit Daikin Industries and Toray Carbon Fibers to build manufacturing
facilities in Decatur.
In 1981, Lynn and a group of community leaders founded First American Bank.
For over fifteen years, First American was a great resource for the
community and was the springboard for many local business leaders even
today.
After retiring from BellSouth, Lynn turned to the next chapter of his public
service, Decatur electoral politics. He won election as Chair of the
Decatur City School Board in 1996. In 2000, he ran for Mayor of Decatur and
won, serving one term. One source of great pride during his term as Mayor
was the development of the world-class soccer facilities at the Jack Allen
Recreation Complex.
Lynn’s honors and awards are truly too numerous to list completely. He
received the Barrett C. Shelton Freedom Award from the Spirit of America
Festival. The Kiwanis Club named its annual service award the Lynn C.
Fowler Award, giving him the first such award. The Morgan County Leadership
Hall of Fame selected him as a member of its 2018 class. In addition, the
Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Decatur Rotary Club and Decatur Jaycees have
all bestowed awards on him.
Lynn loved his family among all else, and his long love affair with Anne was
a true partnership. When they decided that Anne would enter the workforce
as a real estate agent, Lynn studied with Anne for her license exam and took
on many of the duties of raising four children and keeping up the household.
They always loved each other’s company whether alone, out with friends or
with family at home or their favorite escape, Orange Beach. At the time of
Lynn’s passing, he was holding Anne’s hand.
While Lynn loved his three sons dearly, he and Anne really wanted a
daughter. When Bethanne came along a few years after they moved to Decatur,
she and Lynn formed a special bond that stayed strong for the rest of his
life. Lynn also delighted in being Bubby to his beloved grandchildren and
great grandchildren.
When Lynn was not engaged in public service, he was an avid and excellent
golfer. He finished runner-up at the Burningtree Country Club Championship.
He loved his regular Saturday game at the Decatur Country Club, and he also
loved defeating his sons when they all played.
The family is so grateful to Jimmie Buford, Amy Buford, Quenterria Burrell,
Wanda Burrell, Lexis Curtis, Missy Grant and Toni Holcombe, all of whom took
such wonderful care of Lynn for many years. Without their loving and
attentive care, Lynn’s health might not have permitted his active service to
the community for as long as he did. The wonderful nurses at Hospice of the
Valley also provided comfort and peace at the end of his life.
A memorial service and celebration of life will occur starting 10 a.m. on
May 27, 2023 at Brian and Kelli’s home, 1837 Brookmeade Road, SE.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to contribute to your favorite
Decatur cause, which is what Lynn did and asked of all of us.
Harley Wade Fields
Lacey’s Spring
Graveside service for Harley Wade Fields, 88 of Lacey’s Spring was held Monday, May 22, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Bartee Cemetery with Bro. Dennis Jordan officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Harley was born September 23, 1934, in Morgan County to Samuel Jackson Fields and Alberta Henderson Fields. Mr. Harley passed away Friday, May 19, 2023, at his residence. He grew up as a farmer with his five brothers and two sisters. Harley attended Snead State College and served in the U.S. Army. He worked at Redstone Arsenal and was a farmer. He married Beverly Ann Fields in 1959. Harley was a Christian man and was saved in 1974. He loved to grow vegetables and would carry them to people in the community. Harley had a big heart and would help anyone. He drove the church bus to Mt. Olive Church. Survivors include wife, Beverly Ann Fields; two sons, Sammy Fields and Albert Jackson Fields; two daughters, Belinda Sue Sims (Eugene) and Amanda Kay Fields; three brothers, Herbert Fields, Harry Fields, and Hershal Fields; grandson, Cameron Sims.
Patricia Borden
Falkville
Funeral service for Ms. Patricia G. Borden was held Monday, May 22, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Peck Funeral Home with Tony Johnson officiating. Burial followed at Bell Springs Cemetery, Falkville. Patricia Golden Borden of Falkville passed away at the age of 72. She was born to William A. Golden and Martha Lorene James Golden on August 7, 1950, in Morgan County. She passed away Saturday, May 20, 2023, at Cullman Regional Medical Center. Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Howard Golden and Wade Golden. She loved being in the company of her family and friends. She is survived by two daughters, Angie Hand Bradford (Anthony) and Rebecca Hand Harville (Brian); sister, Janell Adairl sister in Christ, Linda Johnson; six grandchildren; four great grandchildren. Pallbearers were Colton Maples, Ryan Bradford, Elijah Bradford, Joshua Bradford, Matthew Hand and Toby Bradford.
Joe Murphy
Hartselle
A memorial service for Mr. Joe Adlia Murphy was held Sunday, May 21, 2023, at 3 p.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church. Mr. Murphy of Morgan County passed away Friday, May 19, 2023, at the age of 83. Born on May 24, 1939, to the late Adlia and Eva Lott Murphy of Morgan County. Mr. Murphy was a lifetime member of Mount Zion Baptist Church near Hartselle. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Carolyn Makemson Murphy; two sons, Britt Murphy and Bart Murphy (Meg); one granddaughter, Brianna Murphy; two grandsons, Caleb Murphy and Benjamin Murphy; one sister, Emogene Livingston of Danville; two nieces, Sandra Latta and Kim McLemore; three nephews, Randal, Michael, and Byron Couey. Mr. Murphy was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Joe Alan Murphy; two granddaughters, Brittany Murphy and Emily Brooke Murphy; sister, Lazelle Couey and nephew, Jerold Couey. Joe was a huge Alabama fan and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He played all three sports at Falkville High School where he graduated in 1957. He retired from 3M after 36 years.
