Opelika AL Funeral Homes
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Heart-felt tributes to honor a dear friend or loved one who has passed away
1801 Frederick Road
Opelika, AL 36801
(334) 745-4667
515 South 6th Street
Opelika, AL 36801
(334) 749-6583
1500 Frederick Road
Opelika, AL 36801
(334) 749-8700
1016 McCoy Street
Opelika, AL 36801
(334) 745-6473
Opelika AL Obituaries and Death Notices
Monday, January 23, 2017Tonya (Kevin) Sharpe, of Blackshear; a son and daughter-in-law, James Michael “Mike” (Cheryl) Kirkland, of Nahunta; two step-daughters, Patricia Ann White, of Waycross, Sandra (David) Bold, of Opelika, Ala.; a step-son, Kyle Hiers, of Waycross; two brothers, Charles (Peggy) Kirkland, of Blackshear, and Junior (Thelma) Kirkland, of Blackshear; 11 grandchildren, Chris Kirkland, Brandon Kirkland, Sheila Bragg, Steve Bragg, Katelynn Raulerson, Aleya Moss, Aldree Norman, Alston Norman, Ethan Norman, Kalub Norman, Emma Norman; five step-grandchildren, Brad Pearson, Jessica Young, Jarred White, Shawn Hickox, Chris Goodman; seven great-grandchildren; 18 step-great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and other relatives.The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Pearson-Dial Chapel.Interment will be in the Enon Cemetery.Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online register at www.pearsondial.comPearson-Dial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Nellie Faye GilleyNellie Faye Gilley, 74, died Thursday (Jan. 5, 2017) at Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross after an extend illness.She was a native of Fulton County and former resident of Henry County, but resided in Waycross since 1990. She retired as a housekeeper from Holiday Inn in Jonesboro. She was a member of Liberty Christian Church in Waycross.She was preceded in death by her parents, Jasper Newton Powell and Renee Mell Teal Bennett, her husband, Bobby Joe Gilley, and her siblings.Survivors include her son, Alvin K. Wilson Jr. (wife, Karen), of Decatur, Ala., step-father, William Bennett, of Waycross, brother-in-law, Rufe Thrift, of Waycross, and numerous nieces and nephews.A funeral will be held 10 a.m. Friday (Jan. 13) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel.The family will receive friends 9 until 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.A graveside service will be held 4 p.m. Friday (Jan. 13) at Cedar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Winder.Music Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at www.musicfuneralhome.comJames Alton Howell Jr.James Alton Howell Jr., 87, died Thursday afternoon (Jan. 5, 2017) at his residence in Hephzibah after an extended illness.He was born in Rockingham, Ga., to the late James Alton Howell Sr. and Vera Fowler Howell. A United States Air Force World War II veteran, he retired from CSX Railroad as a machinist after 42 1/2 years. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Frankie Lewis Howell, one brother, Robert Howell, and one sister, Betty Houston.Survivors include two sons, James A. Howell III (Brandi), and Tony Howell (Wanda), both of Hephzibah, two grandchildren, Robert Sanford Howell Sr. (Chelsea) and Brittany Williams, two great-grandchildren, R.J. and A.J. Howell, two sisters, Iris Perkins, of Millington, Tenn., and Edna Collins, of Blackshear, and several nieces and nephews.A funeral will be held 3 p.m. Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Ben James Cemetery in Pierce County.The family will receive friends 1:45 until 2:45 p.m. Sunday at the church.Music Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at www.musicfuneralhome.com...
Monday, December 19, 2016Center. She was later flown to UAB Hospital where she died of her injuries.Ajin USA makes parts for Hyundai and Kia. There are about 700 workers employed there. Alliance and Joynus, with offices in Opelika, provide about 250 temporary workers to Ajin USA, the department stated.In a statement, Ajin USA said the company will "continue to cooperate and work with OSHA throughout the investigation." Ajin said it cooperated with OSHA's investigation, provided full access to the plant and all employees for interviews, and copies of all documents, drawings and photos requested. The company also conducted an internal investigation."We at Ajin remain deeply saddened over the tragic accident that took the life of one of our valued teammates," the statement said. "Our deepest sympathy and prayers are with her family and loved ones during this most difficult time. Team members are members of our own Ajin family and team safety has always been our guiding principle."Attempts to contact Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus for comment were not immediately successful.Elsea was hired through Alliance Total Solutions.David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said the "senseless tragedy" could have been prevented by following safety precautions.Among the citations to Ajin USA were:"Failing to utilize energy control procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance and servicing.""Exposing workers to caught-in, struck-by and crushing hazards by allowing them to enter a robotic cell without shutting down and securing hazardous stored energy according to safety procedures.""Failing to provide safety locks to isolation hazardous energy.""Exposing employees to crushing and amputation hazards due to improper machine guarding."The companies have 15 business days to contest the findings.Elsea, at the time of her death, was remembered as a quiet woman who opened up to friends, loved spaghetti and her dog "Cow." In her obituary, her family called attention to her impending wedding."After years of searching, she had finally met the love of her life, and future husband, Joshua Daniel," it stated. "Regi...
Monday, November 21, 2016Porter Heatherly, the 4-year-old boy with a rare genetic disease called gangliosidosis type 1 or GM1, died Thursday morning at his home in Opelika surrounded by his parents and a hospice nurse."There is some kind of relief to know that the fight is now over for him, to know he is not suffering anymore," said his mother, Sara Heatherly, Friday morning.His funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Auburn United Methodist Church. Visitation at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home in Opelika is set for 6 p.m. tonight.The Heatherly's say that they will continue to work to help Auburn University where researchers are looking for a cure for the inherited disorder. The disease progressively destroys the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.Porter's father, Michael Heatherly, said between $90,000 and $100,000 has been raised for Auburn research at two fund-raisers to benefit CureGM1 Foundation."He's impacted so many people through helping the research and raising awareness of the disease," Michael said.The fund-raisers occurred this year and last on Porter's birthday Sept. 14.While the annual birthday bashes were big deals, the Heatherly's have been doing smaller celebrations once a month on the...
Monday, October 31, 2016April Etheridge (Scott) of Pike Road.The family requests no flowers and that memorial contributions be made to The Myron West Memorial Fund, Four Corners Ministries, 715 Ave A Suite 206 Opelika, AL 36801 or @www.fourcorners.org.Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www.radneyfuneralhome.com.Radney Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Monday, September 26, 2016As Harris Funeral Home prepares to celebrate 25 years of providing personal and professional funeral service, the Opelika business continues to salute and assist outstanding students as they maintain high standards of conduct and academics. It has been 17 years since Jeffery Harris decided that giving back to the community is as important as serving during a time of hurt and healing, thus the Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship was established.“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have” is the philosophy that has made the Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship an annual event. This scholarship program strives to recognize high school seniors in area schools. It is based upon academic and scholastic achievement, work experience, community service and personal goals that are expressed in an essay response.To date, more than $35,000 has been awarded to area students.The Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship is intended to help students reach their educational goals. Each recipient is awarded a scholarship of $500, which can be applied toward any education-related cost. Final select...
Joanna Blake, sculptor of the Battle of Bladensburg monument, dies at 39 - Washington Post
Monday, June 27, 2016Alabama’s Auburn University in 1999 with a degree in fine arts. She had done terra-cotta works on the Auburn campus and a 100-foot-long terra-cotta frieze for the performing arts center in Opelika, Ala.For two years, she worked on the Battle of Bladensburg memorial, an 8-by-10-foot panel that shows a wounded and downed American Commodore Joshua Barney; Charles Ball, a former slave who served in Barney’s flotilla; and an unnamed Marine, all three figures looking up, weapons at their sides.To the American side, the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812 was a tactical defeat, but it “galvanized the nation,” leading to the successful defense only weeks later of the port of Baltimore against British attack, Mrs. Blake told The Washington Post in 2013.Resistance to the Royal navy’s bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem “Defense of Fort McHenry,” whose lyrics would later become the words to the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”Mrs. Blake’s survivors include her husband, whom she married in 2000, and their daughter, Myra Agnes Blake, both of Cottage City; her parents, Alan and Joleen Campbell of Point Clear, Ala.; and a brother.Read more Washington Post obituaries...
Monday, June 13, 2016Auburn's Wellness Center. She was also in the design phase of another project with Wagoner, a 100-foot-long terracotta frieze for the Performing Arts Center in Opelika. "It will be a good excuse to visit Auburn, which always feels like coming home," she said.In a 2003 interview with the Press-Register, Blake said she'd written her grandfather's name on the underside of a bronze eagle included in the National World War II Memorial, which is on a 7.2-acre site on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Her grandfather, Archie E. Campbell, a Point Clear native, had served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Alabama for two years in World War II. Campbell died in 2015, at age 92.She is survived by her husband, Ike Blake, and their daughter, Myra, 5, of Cottage City, Md., as well as her parents, Alan "Boaty" Campbell and Joleen Campbell of Point Clear, and a brother, Alan Campbell.In this interview with Frank Tybush for "History at Risk, Episode 12," recorded Jan. 17, 2013, Blake talks about her Bladensburg memorial:[embedded content]...
Opelika News
Monday, January 23, 2017Tonya (Kevin) Sharpe, of Blackshear; a son and daughter-in-law, James Michael “Mike” (Cheryl) Kirkland, of Nahunta; two step-daughters, Patricia Ann White, of Waycross, Sandra (David) Bold, of Opelika, Ala.; a step-son, Kyle Hiers, of Waycross; two brothers, Charles (Peggy) Kirkland, of Blackshear, and Junior (Thelma) Kirkland, of Blackshear; 11 grandchildren, Chris Kirkland, Brandon Kirkland, Sheila Bragg, Steve Bragg, Katelynn Raulerson, Aleya Moss, Aldree Norman, Alston Norman, Ethan Norman, Kalub Norman, Emma Norman; five step-grandchildren, Brad Pearson, Jessica Young, Jarred White, Shawn Hickox, Chris Goodman; seven great-grandchildren; 18 step-great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and other relatives.The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Pearson-Dial Chapel.Interment will be in the Enon Cemetery.Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online register at www.pearsondial.comPearson-Dial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Nellie Faye GilleyNellie Faye Gilley, 74, died Thursday (Jan. 5, 2017) at Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross after an extend illness.She was a native of Fulton County and former resident of Henry County, but resided in Waycross since 1990. She retired as a housekeeper from Holiday Inn in Jonesboro. She was a member of Liberty Christian Church in Waycross.She was preceded in death by her parents, Jasper Newton Powell and Renee Mell Teal Bennett, her husband, Bobby Joe Gilley, and her siblings.Survivors include her son, Alvin K. Wilson Jr. (wife, Karen), of Decatur, Ala., step-father, William Bennett, of Waycross, brother-in-law, Rufe Thrift, of Waycross, and numerous nieces and nephews.A funeral will be held 10 a.m. Friday (Jan. 13) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel.The family will receive friends 9 until 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.A graveside service will be held 4 p.m. Friday (Jan. 13) at Cedar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Winder.Music Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at www.musicfuneralhome.comJames Alton Howell Jr.James Alton Howell Jr., 87, died Thursday afternoon (Jan. 5, 2017) at his residence in Hephzibah after an extended illness.He was born in Rockingham, Ga., to the late James Alton Howell Sr. and Vera Fowler Howell. A United States Air Force World War II veteran, he retired from CSX Railroad as a machinist after 42 1/2 years. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Frankie Lewis Howell, one brother, Robert Howell, and one sister, Betty Houston.Survivors include two sons, James A. Howell III (Brandi), and Tony Howell (Wanda), both of Hephzibah, two grandchildren, Robert Sanford Howell Sr. (Chelsea) and Brittany Williams, two great-grandchildren, R.J. and A.J. Howell, two sisters, Iris Perkins, of Millington, Tenn., and Edna Collins, of Blackshear, and several nieces and nephews.A funeral will be held 3 p.m. Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Ben James Cemetery in Pierce County.The family will receive friends 1:45 until 2:45 p.m. Sunday at the church.Music Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at www.musicfuneralhome.com...
Monday, December 19, 2016Center. She was later flown to UAB Hospital where she died of her injuries.Ajin USA makes parts for Hyundai and Kia. There are about 700 workers employed there. Alliance and Joynus, with offices in Opelika, provide about 250 temporary workers to Ajin USA, the department stated.In a statement, Ajin USA said the company will "continue to cooperate and work with OSHA throughout the investigation." Ajin said it cooperated with OSHA's investigation, provided full access to the plant and all employees for interviews, and copies of all documents, drawings and photos requested. The company also conducted an internal investigation."We at Ajin remain deeply saddened over the tragic accident that took the life of one of our valued teammates," the statement said. "Our deepest sympathy and prayers are with her family and loved ones during this most difficult time. Team members are members of our own Ajin family and team safety has always been our guiding principle."Attempts to contact Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus for comment were not immediately successful.Elsea was hired through Alliance Total Solutions.David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said the "senseless tragedy" could have been prevented by following safety precautions.Among the citations to Ajin USA were:"Failing to utilize energy control procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance and servicing.""Exposing workers to caught-in, struck-by and crushing hazards by allowing them to enter a robotic cell without shutting down and securing hazardous stored energy according to safety procedures.""Failing to provide safety locks to isolation hazardous energy.""Exposing employees to crushing and amputation hazards due to improper machine guarding."The companies have 15 business days to contest the findings.Elsea, at the time of her death, was remembered as a quiet woman who opened up to friends, loved spaghetti and her dog "Cow." In her obituary, her family called attention to her impending wedding."After years of searching, she had finally met the love of her life, and future husband, Joshua Daniel," it stated. "Regi...
Monday, November 21, 2016Porter Heatherly, the 4-year-old boy with a rare genetic disease called gangliosidosis type 1 or GM1, died Thursday morning at his home in Opelika surrounded by his parents and a hospice nurse."There is some kind of relief to know that the fight is now over for him, to know he is not suffering anymore," said his mother, Sara Heatherly, Friday morning.His funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Auburn United Methodist Church. Visitation at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home in Opelika is set for 6 p.m. tonight.The Heatherly's say that they will continue to work to help Auburn University where researchers are looking for a cure for the inherited disorder. The disease progressively destroys the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.Porter's father, Michael Heatherly, said between $90,000 and $100,000 has been raised for Auburn research at two fund-raisers to benefit CureGM1 Foundation."He's impacted so many people through helping the research and raising awareness of the disease," Michael said.The fund-raisers occurred this year and last on Porter's birthday Sept. 14.While the annual birthday bashes were big deals, the Heatherly's have been doing smaller celebrations once a month on the...
Monday, October 31, 2016April Etheridge (Scott) of Pike Road.The family requests no flowers and that memorial contributions be made to The Myron West Memorial Fund, Four Corners Ministries, 715 Ave A Suite 206 Opelika, AL 36801 or @www.fourcorners.org.Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www.radneyfuneralhome.com.Radney Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Monday, September 26, 2016As Harris Funeral Home prepares to celebrate 25 years of providing personal and professional funeral service, the Opelika business continues to salute and assist outstanding students as they maintain high standards of conduct and academics. It has been 17 years since Jeffery Harris decided that giving back to the community is as important as serving during a time of hurt and healing, thus the Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship was established.“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have” is the philosophy that has made the Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship an annual event. This scholarship program strives to recognize high school seniors in area schools. It is based upon academic and scholastic achievement, work experience, community service and personal goals that are expressed in an essay response.To date, more than $35,000 has been awarded to area students.The Harris Funeral Home Memorial Scholarship is intended to help students reach their educational goals. Each recipient is awarded a scholarship of $500, which can be applied toward any education-related cost. Final select...
Joanna Blake, sculptor of the Battle of Bladensburg monument, dies at 39 - Washington Post
Monday, June 27, 2016Alabama’s Auburn University in 1999 with a degree in fine arts. She had done terra-cotta works on the Auburn campus and a 100-foot-long terra-cotta frieze for the performing arts center in Opelika, Ala.For two years, she worked on the Battle of Bladensburg memorial, an 8-by-10-foot panel that shows a wounded and downed American Commodore Joshua Barney; Charles Ball, a former slave who served in Barney’s flotilla; and an unnamed Marine, all three figures looking up, weapons at their sides.To the American side, the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812 was a tactical defeat, but it “galvanized the nation,” leading to the successful defense only weeks later of the port of Baltimore against British attack, Mrs. Blake told The Washington Post in 2013.Resistance to the Royal navy’s bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem “Defense of Fort McHenry,” whose lyrics would later become the words to the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”Mrs. Blake’s survivors include her husband, whom she married in 2000, and their daughter, Myra Agnes Blake, both of Cottage City; her parents, Alan and Joleen Campbell of Point Clear, Ala.; and a brother.Read more Washington Post obituaries...
Monday, June 13, 2016Auburn's Wellness Center. She was also in the design phase of another project with Wagoner, a 100-foot-long terracotta frieze for the Performing Arts Center in Opelika. "It will be a good excuse to visit Auburn, which always feels like coming home," she said.In a 2003 interview with the Press-Register, Blake said she'd written her grandfather's name on the underside of a bronze eagle included in the National World War II Memorial, which is on a 7.2-acre site on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Her grandfather, Archie E. Campbell, a Point Clear native, had served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Alabama for two years in World War II. Campbell died in 2015, at age 92.She is survived by her husband, Ike Blake, and their daughter, Myra, 5, of Cottage City, Md., as well as her parents, Alan "Boaty" Campbell and Joleen Campbell of Point Clear, and a brother, Alan Campbell.In this interview with Frank Tybush for "History at Risk, Episode 12," recorded Jan. 17, 2013, Blake talks about her Bladensburg memorial:[embedded content]...
