By Staff
July 5, 2007
Funeral for Ellen Delora Higginbotham, 73, of Falkville was Saturday, July 7, at 11 a.m. at Lebanon Baptist Church with Dr. Randy Ashley officiating and her sons sharing special memories of her.
Burial was in the adjoining cemetery with Peck Funeral Home directing.
Mrs. Higginbotham died Thursday, July 5, 2007, at the residence of her son John. She was born October 26, 1933, in Walthall, Miss. to Newell Booker Smith Sr. and Bessie Lee Hall Smith. She was a homemaker and a graduate of Southwest Mississippi Junior College, University of Southern Mississippi and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She met her future husband, Jesse Higginbotham, while attending the seminary. They served in the ministry together for 41 years, retiring in January 1996. The churches they served were Enon Baptist Church in Atmore, First Baptist Church in Destin, Fla., First Baptist Church in Samson, Providence Baptist Church in Clayhatchee and Lebanon Baptist Church in Falkville. Before entering the seminary she taught high school business education classes in Tylertown, Miss., for four years. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Newell Booker Smith Jr.
She is survived by four sons, David Andrew Higginbotham of Columbus, Miss., John Newell Higginbotham of Hartselle and Paul Lee Higginbotham and Joel Allen Higginbotham, both of Birmingham; two brothers, John Neil Smith of Tylertown, Miss. and Joe Lindy Smith of Enterprise; three sisters, Alda Flo Smith and Willa Lee Smith, both of Tylertown, Miss. and Alla Faye Fike of Prentiss, Miss; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Mike Anders, Jim Aycock, Don Crow, Bill Dobbs, Bobby Rhoads and Eugene Speegle.
Honorary pallbearers were deacons of Lebanon Baptist Church.