Helen Marie McCafferty

By Staff
January 21, 2009
Helen Marie McCafferty, 62, of Russellville, Ala., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009, at Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield.
A private memorial was held by her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Loyd and Ruby Southern; husband, Tom B. McCafferty; brothers, Kenneth Southern and Billy Joe Southern; and daughter, Rhonda McCafferty.
She is survived by her children, Thomas McCafferty and wife Andrea; Ritchie McCafferty, Dinah Green and husband Mark and Sabrina McCafferty; grandchildren, Marie Green, Matthew Green, Megan Russell and husband Johnny, Thomas McCafferty, Bradley McCafferty and Jesse McCafferty; close cousin, Brenda Mills; brother, Royce Southern; sisters, Joyce Southern, Nancy Siteo, Dorothy Southern and Debbie Southern; numerous aunts and uncles; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was a beloved daughter, mother and grandmother who will be missed by all.
Spry Memorial Chapel in Russellville assisted the family.
JC Garrison
January 25, 2009
JC Garrison, 77, passed away Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, after a courageous yearlong battle with cancer.
He grew up on a large farm in northern Alabama with six brothers and sisters. As a post-Great Depression era child, hard work and close family shaped his life. He worked at Coosa River Paper Company in Alabama and was later transferred to Bowater Paper in Charleston, Tenn., where he worked in a supervisory position for 34 years until his early retirement at age 52 in 1984.
While working at Bowater, he became interested in aviation, bought his first airplane and was the fixed base operator of the McMinn County Airport in Athens, Tenn. He and the late Jack Creasman founded C &G Aircraft, an aircraft sales and leasing company. He quickly obtained his single, multi, instrument and glider ratings. He also became a fully licensed aircraft repair mechanic and instructor pilot in both airplanes and gliders.
After six years at the McMinn County Airport, he and his wife, Nell, became the fixed based operators at Hardwick Field in Cleveland, Tenn., for 35 years until their retirement in 2007.
Over the years, he taught many young men and women to fly. Some of them went on to become successful airline pilots. His son, Robbie, became one of the youngest pilots hired by Piedmont Airlines, now US Airways, and his daughter, Trish, became a flight attendant at the same airline as her brother.
As operator of the Cleveland Airport, he met many personalities such as Sam Walton of Wal-Mart and actors Montgomery Clift and Lee Remick, who chartered his airplane while filming "Wild River" in the Charleston area. He also sold an airplane to Wernher von Braun, the German rocket physicist and astronautics engineer said to be the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century. JC was treasured this relationship and referred to it often.
He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Nell; son, Robbie Garrison and wife Debbie of Cleveland; daughter, Trish Ball and husband Rocky of Atlanta, Ga.; brother, Elbert Garrison and wife Agnes of Russellville; sister, Betty Hatcher and Don of Montevallo; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Betty Jo and Gerald Vick of Harpersville; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Janice and John Simms of Jasper; and many special nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Rev. Stonewall J. Garrison; mother, Nancy Ann Kennedy Garrison; brothers, Ralph and Billy Ray Garrison; and sisters, Ethel Tidwell and husband Frank, Ruby Taylor and husband Otis, LaRue Garrison and Florene Taylor.
"J," as he was also known to close friends and family, had a knack for anything mechanical. His daughter, Trish, often called him "MacGyver," referring to the 1980s television series character whose main asset was the inventive use of common items to solve problems.
After buying a helicopter in need of extensive repairs, his son-in-law, Rocky, asked JC what he knew about helicopters, and he replied with, "nothing." Armed with little more than repair manuals and years of experience working on airplanes, he dismantled the helicopter into thousands of pieces placed in hundreds of boxes and in a time period of about a year, working on it whenever he had a few hours to spare, JC rebuilt the helicopter into like-new condition and quickly sold the red flying machine to a helicopter enthusiast.
He was a devoted husband and father and liked nothing more than spending time with family and friends. He and his son, Robbie, had a special relationship and spent long hours together at their hangar rebuilding and selling airplanes, with many friends dropping by throughout the day and evening to discuss everything from airplanes to Alabama football.
J was never shy about expressing his opinions and was fondly considered ornery at times. He also had a special love for cats and dogs, especially strays, and unloved or uncared for animals. He could often be seen feeding neighborhood animals and would take his own five rescued dogs for a daily ride in his favorite Dodge Ram truck.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Grissom Funeral Home in Cleveland with Dr. Jay McCluskey officiating. Graveside services will be held later that day at the family cemetery in Phil Campbell.
Pallbearers will be son-in-law, Rocky Ball, nephews, Jay Donahue, Frankie, David and Elvis June Tidwell and Dillard and Doug Taylor. Honorary pallbearers will be William Hyde, Vern Lee, Taylor Neal, Robbie and Bradley Tidwell and Keith Ergle.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Cleveland Animal Shelter c/o Sue Little in Cleveland, Tenn.