Obituaries for Tuesday, August 2, 2004

By Staff
NORTHPORT, Ala. Services for Roy Wesley Rhodes will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, with the Rev. Clarence Smith officiating. Burial will be in Tuscaloosa Memorial Park. Magnolia Chapel North Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Rhodes, 91, of Tuscaloosa, died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004, at DCH Regional Hospital.
Born in rural Walker County, Mr. Rhodes spent the greater part of his youth in Florence where his widowed mother had moved to afford her sons a better educational opportunity. He graduated from Coffee High School in Florence in 1931. After accepting an athletic scholarship from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he later decided to return to Florence to attend the University of North Alabama. There he excelled in sports and served as student body president during his senior year. He later was an avid basketball fan for the University of Alabama.
He began his career with the United States Postal Service in 1935 as a letter carrier. He progressed in various positions until 1958 when he was appointed Postmaster in Tuscaloosa where he served until his retirement in 1972.
In addition to his postal career, he was involved in many business and civic ventures including the Civitan and Kiwanis clubs. He was on the executive board of the St. Andrews Society and the Alabama Lung Association, president of the Alabama Postmasters Association and spent many years delivering meals to shut-ins through the Meals on Wheels program.
Mr. Rhodes and his wife joined Calvary Baptist Church upon moving to Tuscaloosa in 1946. He served the church as treasurer for more than 15 years and after serving 25 years as a deacon, he achieved lifetime deacon status. He was also a member of the Gideon organization for many years. His church and his family were the center of his life.
A strongly religious person, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather. He loved working in his yard and garden with his grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Margaret McLeod Rhodes; daughters, Judy Lawrence Mahoney and her husband Bruce of Saugerties, N.Y., Rebecca Doughty and her husband Richard of Northport, and Janis Beasley and her husband William of Athens; a brother, Col. Glennis O. Rhodes of Montgomery; grandsons, Silas Lawrence of Naples, Fla., Bill Nolen and his wife Nicole of Cottondale, Christopher Beasley of Princeton, N.J., and Dan Beasley of Mobile; and numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and their children and grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wesley Levi Rhodes and Effie Young Rhodes and brothers Bert and Gloy.
Pallbearers will be Perry Baggett, William Beasley, Richard Doughty, Bruce Mahoney, Tom McLeod, Wiley McLeod, Bill Nolan and Bill Reid. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. John Summerford, Dr. Bruce Chesser, Mr. and Mrs. Chesley Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Louise Hubbs, Archie Hitson, Terry Pike, the Rev. Jack Shannon, Dr. Donald Howe, Dr. Timothy Winkler, Dr. Bill White, Eddie Kelley, Joe Steward, former postal employees, former employees of Warrior Asphalt Co., and members of the Adult I Sunday School Class and other members of Calvary Baptist Church.
Visitation will be today from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service at the church.
WAYNESBORO Services for Olen C. Evans will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Freeman Funeral Home Chapel, with Dr. Steve Smith officiating. Burial will be in Serenity Gardens.
Mr. Evans, 65, of Waynesboro, died Saturday, July 31, 2004, at Rush Foundation Hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Sundial Evans of Waynesboro; a son, Keith Evans and his wife Stacy of Meridian; a brother, Rudolph Evans of Waynesboro; and grandchildren Matthew Evans and Anna Catherine Evans, both of Meridian.
He was preceded in death by his father, Tullie Rosha Evans; his mother, Bertie Evans; and a sister, Scewillow Williamson.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the funeral home.
Services for Bobby Gene Spooner will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at James F. Webb Funeral Home chapel, with Bros. Mike Boles and Gary Fayard officiating. Burial will be in Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi on Thursday at 1 p.m.
Mr. Spooner, 69, of Meridian, died Saturday, July 31, 2004, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was employed with the U.S. government for 30 years, and served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He later continued his career in the Air Force as a pilot.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia Spooner of Meridian; sons, Bobby Spooner Jr. and Roland Spooner, both of Gulfport, and Benjamin Spooner and Keith Spooner, both of Odessa, Texas; a daughter, Cynthia Thrash of Odessa; stepchildren, Sue Chandler and her husband Greg of Enterprise, Mary Johnson and her husband Denny of Henderson, Tenn., and Barbara McNamara and her husband Tommy, Judy Kraft and her husband Roger and Joyce Malone and her husband Johnny, all of Meridian; brothers, Myron Spooner of Fairfield, Calif., and Warren Spooner and his wife Mildred of Waynesboro; sisters, Rita Olier and her husband Wildon and Betty Mcfadden and her husband Patrick, all of Biloxi, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by Willie Lee, Willie Lee Jr., Joyce Spooner, Brent Spooner and Loretta Spooner.
Visitation will be today from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Arrangements were incomplete at Berry and Gardner Funeral Home for Kenneth Hill, 38, of Lauderdale, who died Monday, Aug. 2, 2004, at his home.
Arrangements were incomplete at E.E. McDonald Funeral Home for Walterine M. Grace, 75, of Daleville, who died Monday, Aug. 2, 2004, at Heartfelt Hospice.