Obituaries week of March 30

Belinda Blankenship Ricks
Danville
A graveside funeral service and interment for Belinda Blankenship Ricks, 73, was held March 24 at 11 a.m. at Forrest Chapel Cemetery with the Rev. Glen Miller officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. 

Mrs. Ricks died March 21 at her residence. She was born Feb. 3, 1949, in Michigan to Freeman Blankenship and Freida Atkins Blankenship. She was employed as an LPN for the Decatur Surgical Center prior to her retirement. She was an outdoorsy person who enjoyed traveling by going on cruises, going to the beach and camping. She also loved fishing and gardening. 

Preceding her in death were her parents and a daughter, Terri Lynn Hall. 

Survivors include husband, Larry Ricks; sons, Dale Hall (Teresa), Steven Shaddrix (Sukanya) and Anthony Ricks (Chrissy); five grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. 

Willard “Bud” Steele 

Danville 

Funeral service for Willard “Bud” Steele, 80, was held March 24 at 3 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Francis Proctor officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in Center Cemetery. 

Mr. Steele died March 19 at Hospice Family Care. He was born March 31, 1941, in Lawrence County to Henry James Steele and Mary Frances McWhorter Steele. He was employed by Lone Wolf Trailers as a welder prior to his retirement.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Carl Steele; and a daughter, Bonnie Steele Massey. 

Survivors include his wife, Geraldine Legg, Danville; son, Michael Steele (Susan), Somerville; daughter, Kelly Terry (Chris), Danville; 11 grandchildren Tiffany Stewart, Dustin Steele, Brittany Steele, Brianna Terry, Dakoda Steele, Kortney Steele, Kayla Massey, Bayley Steele, Sallie Terry, Reece Terry and Juliette Terry; and numerous great-grandchildren. 

Pallbearers were Dustin Steele, Dale Weaver, Jeff Massey, Cain Myrick, Brittany Steele and Kortney Steele. 

Greg Reeves 

Hartselle
Funeral service for Greg Reeves, 61, was held March 25 at 3 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Michael Gunter officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in Hartselle City Cemetery. 

Mr. Reeves died March 22 at his residence. He was born June 14, 1960, in Franklin County, to Louie Reeves and Virginia Nell Prestridge Reeves. He was employed by the City of Hartselle, working with
the Parks and Recreation Department, prior to his passing. 

He was preceded in death by his mother.
Survivors include his father, Louie Reeves; sons, Josh Reeves and Todd O’Brien (Jackie); daughters, Emily McCord Revell and Leah Shelton (Justin); brothers, Kerry Reeves (Michelle), Marty Reeves and Jamie Reeves; sisters, Rhonda Steelman (Marty) and Kim McKnight; and five grandchildren. 

Pallbearers were family and friends. 

Frances Childers 

Priceville
Funeral service for Mary Frances Johnson Childers, 80, of Priceville, was held March 25 at 1 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Richard Richie officiating. Burial was in the Pines Cemetery with Peck Funeral Home directing. 

Frances, who died March 22 at Summerford Nursing Home, was born Dec. 22, 1941, to Alva and Anna Lee Johnson in the Pines community.  

During her lifetime, she was a homemaker, an avid gardener and a prize-winning amateur photographer. She enjoyed and excelled at crafts of all kinds, including painting, calligraphy, basket weaving and ceramics, to name just a few.  

She was a breast cancer survivor and always looked forward to attending Camp Bluebird. She was a longtime member of the Decatur Art Guild and earned a place in Decatur’s Polar Bear Club. 

Survivors include her three sisters, Carol Jean Montgomery, Martha Stewart (Milt) and Kathy Harbin (Al); two brothers, Larry Johnson (Jan) and Kenneth Johnson; three sons, Tommy Childers, Randy Knighten (Wendy) and Arvel Childers (Cel); two daughters, Vickie Parkhill and Kathy Austin; seven grandchildren, Dewayne Childers, Jennifer Phillips, Adam Childers, Lawrence Parkhill, Lindsey Holemon, Nickie Knighten and Dane Childers; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. 

Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren served as pallbearers. 

In lieu of flowers, make memorial contributions to the Decatur Art Guild. 

Marie Turney Hammon
Cullman
A graveside funeral service and interment for Marie Turney Hammon, 98, was held March 26 at 2 p.m. at Cook Cemetery with the Rev. Brad Eades officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. No public visitation was scheduled.
Mrs. Hammon died March 22 at Lawrence County Medical Center. She was born Jan. 1, 1924, in Morgan County to Guy Walker Turney and Florence Baker Turney. She was employed by Central Park Baptist Church, as the church secretary, for 45 years and was also a member of the church. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, William Eugene Hammon; her parents; and four brothers.
Survivors include daughters, Carole Lavender and Sheila H. Hogue (Gil); son, William E. Hammon Jr. (Jaye); sister, Norma Jean Long; grandchildren, Blane Hogue, Jeffrey Martin (Catherine), Matt Hogue (Amy), Stoney Hammon (Laura), John Richey (Diana) and Heather Wilson; and great-grandchildren, Harrison Martin, Emma Martin, Sara Hammon, Tyler Richey, Anna Hammon, Will Hammon, Lillie Hogue and Ellie Hogue.
 

Myrtle Avalene Borden
Decatur 

Funeral service for Myrtle Avalene Borden, 92, was held March 26 at 1 p.m. at Oak Park Church of God with Pastor Bobby Newman officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in Somerville City Cemetery.
Mrs. Borden passed away March 23 at her residence. She was born March 17, 1930, in Morgan County to Samuel Alvin Hill and Lucille Cottingham Hill. 

Mrs. Borden was employed as a nursing assistant at Decatur General Hospital, where she worked on second floor east and retired from a career with co-workers and patients whom she loved like family. 

She was married for 74 years to her true love, Roy.  

Mrs. Borden had been a member of Oak Park Church of God since 1948 and served in many roles for as long as she was physically able. She enjoyed baking wedding cakes for family and friends, but after retiring, she became a full-time grandmother and great-grandmother. She never missed an opportunity to bake homemade biscuits and gravy for her family.
Preceding her in death were one son, Edward Ray Borden; brothers, Roy, Euell, William and Garel Roan Hill; and sisters, Marie Hill, Shirley Hill, Ruby Gayhart and Wanda Freeman.
Survivors include her husband, Roy Borden, Decatur; daughter, Regina Long (Ray), Somerville; son, Gary Borden, Decatur; sisters, Joyce Tierney (John), Saraland and Dona Serda, Trinity; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. 

Pallbearers were Mickey Brown, Chance Brown, Tripp Brown, Josh Melson, Jeremy Wallace and Jerry Gayhart. Honorary pallbearer was Ellie Grace Blackwood. 

Robert William Cowman 

Hartselle 

Robert William Cowman, 85, of Hartselle passed away March 22.  

Robert was born March 27, 1936, in Vidalia, Georgia. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Arnett Cowman, of Hartselle; daughter, Margaret E. “Beth” Parker of Huntsville; son, William R. “Bill” Cowman (Stacy) of Decatur; sister, Alice McDill, of Pinson; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, William H. Cowman and Betty Ruth Drake Cowman. 

Funeral was held March 25 at 6 p.m. at Moss-Service Funeral Home, 1901 2nd Ave. NW, Cullman. 

Storm Ingersoll 

Falkville
Funeral service for Storm Ingersoll, 25, was held March 29 at 7 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor David Carroll officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing.  

Mr. Ingersoll died March 24 at his residence. He was born Nov. 2, 1996, in Boone County, Missouri, to Kenneth Marland Ingersoll and Julie Ann Nagel. 

Storm was a fork truck driver for the Falkville Wood Treatment Company.  

He was a big-hearted person who would do anything to help anyone and always found the good in people. He was a peacemaker. He loved his truck, listening to country music, fishing and his dogs, Millie, Mollie and Jade. 

Survivors include his wife, Maddie Womack; father, Kenneth Marland Ingersoll; mother, Julie Ann Nagel; brothers, Cory Ingersoll, Dustin Nagel and Brad Nagel; and nephews, Blayze Ingersoll and Shelton Taylor. 

Roger-Payton L. Payton Sr.
Somerville
Roger-Payton Lynn Payton Sr., 75, of Somerville passed away March 25 with family by his side.
Roger-Payton was born Sept. 26, 1946, in Hartford, Ky., the youngest of three sons, to Elbert and Evelyn Payton. He married Sharon Kay Pullen April 11, 1966, in Ownesboro, Ky., where they later had four children.  

He served in the United States Air Force, stationed in Okinawa, Japan. 

Roger-Payton worked in the aluminum processing and manufacturing industry, spending most of his career in plant management with Nichols Homeshield Aluminum in Davenport, Iowa. During that time, he resided in Eldridge, Iowa, where he and Sharon raised their family. He retired from the Nichols Homeshield Aluminum plant in Decatur before going to work for Vulcan Aluminum in Foley. He retired from Vulcan Aluminum in October 2016.  

Sharon passed away March 11, 2020.
He enjoyed woodworking and home improvement and was an avid University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan.
Roger-Payton will be lovingly remembered by his four children, Roger-Payton (Angi) Payton Jr. of Maquoketa, Iowa, Mickey (Dennis) Blake of Eldridge, Iowa, Bryan (Sarah) Payton of Donahue, Iowa, and Tracy (Brad) Van Pelt of Noblesville, Indiana; by his nine beautiful grand-girls, Chelsey, Lauren, Ariana, Sophie, Addisen, Evelyn, Hattie, Ella, and Teagan; by one hairy-legged grand-boy, Maxwell; by his brother, Norman Payton Sr; and by the two sweet, yet rowdy, ladies Roger-Payton lived with the past two years, Maggie and Ella– his Dachshund hounds. 

He is preceded in death by his wife, parents and brother, Ross Payton.
A private family service will be held for both Roger-Payton and Sharon in the Quad Cities at a later date. 

Roger-Payton’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the doctors and staff at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville for the great care and compassion shown to Roger-Payton in his last days. Also, to Roger-Payton’s loving friends and neighbors, Bobby and Sylvia Barnes and Beverly Holland, who have truly shown Christ’s love and compassion to Roger-Payton and his family during this difficult time. Thank you, and God bless you. 

Gerald Gunn
Falkville
Gerald Gunn, 84, passed away March 28 at Huntsville Hospital. At this time, no services are scheduled. 

He was born Jan. 31, 1938, in Morgan County to Charlie Logan Gunn and Lois White Gunn. He was employed by Wolverine Tube prior to his retirement. 

He was preceded in death by his family. 

Survivors include wife, Joan Gunn; daughters, Karen Roden (Schemenaur) and Karol Jones; grandchildren, Hunter Stanley Jones (Ashton) and Mallory Gillett (Ian); and great-grandchild, Fiona Gillett.