Obituaries published in the Friday, March 15, 2002, edition of The Messenger.
Published 12:00 am Friday, March 15, 2002
Al Gibbs
Services for Al Gibbs, 80, of Troy who died Wednesday March 13, 2002, at Flowers Hospital in Dothan will be at 11 a.m. Friday March 15, 2002,, at Dillard Funeral Home Chapel in Troy .
Burial will be in Green Hills Memorial Park in Troy under the direction of Dillard Funeral Home of Troy.
Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Friday, March 15, at Dillard Funeral Home in Troy.
Mr. Gibbs was the Public Safety Commissioner and Mayor of Troy for 15 years. He was a long time member and chairman of the Alabama Forestry Commission. He was also an Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Troy.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Billie Gibbs.
Survivors include a wife, Martha Austin Gibbs of Troy; three sons and their wives, Al Jr. and Billie Gibbs of Camden, Bill and Kaye Gibbs of Augusta, Ga., and Charles and Katie Bradshaw of Montgomery; two daughters and their husbands, Leigh and Dee Denson of Birmingham and Dana and David Morse of Peachtree City, Ga.; brothers and wife Willis Gibbs of Homerville, Ga., and James Marshall and Bebe Gibbs of Jasper, Ga.; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers are the grandsons, Charles Denson, Douglas Denson, Joe Denson, Strother Gibbs, Al Gibbs, III, Will Gibbs and Peasley Shorter.
The family requests memorials be made to the Big Oak Ranch for Children, 250 Jake Mintz Road, Gadsden, AL 35905.
Mary Alice (Flowers) Neal
Services for Mary Alice (Flowers) Neal, 61, of Troy who died Monday March 11, 2002, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Brundidge with Rev. J.E. Person and Dr. L. C. McMillian officiating..
Burial will be in the church cemetery.
She was the oldest of seven children born to the union of Deacon Ardenels Flowers and the late Willie C. Flowers on June 16, 1940.
At an early age she joined the New Salem Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. B. F. Oden. She attended the public schools in Coffe and Pike County. She was a member of several auxilliaries and served as president of the Usher Board for many years.
She was preceded in death by a son, Patrick Neal; two brothers, Otis Flowers and Melvin Flowers.
Survivors include a husband, Rev. L. R. Neal; two sons and their wives, S/SGT. Rick and Aletha Neal of Columbus, Ga., Tony and Tanyria Neal of Enterprise; daughter and her husband, Natasha and Olanda Hardy of Troy; father, Ardenels Flowers of Brundidge; two brothers and wife, Willie Flowers of Troy and Jerome and Velvia Flowers of Brundidge; two sisters, Jewel Flowers and Helen Franklin of Brundidge; 11 grandchildren; four uncles, two aunts, two brothers-in law; six sisters-in law and several nephews, cousins and friends.
Pallbearers will be the nephews Antonio Flowers, LaDeue Townsend, Rafael Flowers, Keavin Flowers, Douglas Holland, Willie F. Johnson and Willie Williams.
Honorary Pallbeares are Ministers of the New Era District Association.
Floralbearers will be friends of the family.
Gillis Jackson Smilie
Gillis Jackson Smilie, 92, of Grady who died Tuesday March 12, 2002, at Pike Manor Health Care Center in Troy will be at 2 p.m. Friday March 15, 2002, at Dillard Funeral Home Chapel in Troy with Rev. Thomas Bracewell officiating.
Burial will be at Hills Chapel Methodist Church in Ramer under the direction of Dillard Funeral Home of Troy.
Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Mr. Smilie was a member of Hills Chapel Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, four sisters, two brothers, a son and a daughter.
Survivors are his wife of 69 years, Sallie M. Smilie of Grady; extended family, Nell and Sarah Missildine, Kenneth and Debra Rhodes, Connie and Ellen Broadway, Merle Missildine, Mary Missildine, and Gladys Ballard.
The family requests memorials be made to Hills Chapel Church Cemetery Fund.
Pallbearers are Chris Berry, Edward Broadway, Randy Broadway, Jehue Holley, Neil Missildine and Kenneth Rhodes,