Obituaries week of April 13
Sgt. Christopher Lee Dillard
Somerville, AL
Sgt. Christopher Lee Dillard
Somerville
Funeral service for Sgt. Christopher Lee Dillard, 50, was held April 11 at 3 p.m. at Somerville Baptist Church with Bro. Ryan Childers, Caleb Brooks, Gary Landers and Sheriff Ron Puckett officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. His body was laid in state for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial was in Somerville Historical Cemetery.
Mr. Dillard passed away April 7 at his residence. He was born Jan. 30, 1972, in Florida to Janice Warren and the late Jerry Dillard.
Chris met his wife, Rebecca Landers, in October 1996, and they were married in August 1997.
He was a volunteer police officer with the Town of Somerville for a brief period of time before becoming a paid officer. Shortly after being hired with the Somerville Department, Decatur Police Department offered him a job. He then moved to the Hartselle Police Department and became an officer.
While working for Hartselle, he was again offered a position with the Town of Somerville as the chief. Eight months into his job there, the TVA police approached Chris for a position in the federal sector of police work.
While at FLETC doing Federal Police Academy, at Jacksonville State University, Chris was awarded the Expert Shooter and Top Gun Award.
After serving with U.S. TVA Police, he was awarded a Meritorious Award for catching a large burglary in progress and was named Officer of the Quarter.
TVA did away with their police department, and Chris gained employment with the Owens Cross Roads Police. After four months of service there, he was offered the chief of police position there.
He learned of the chief of police position opening in Somerville and reapplied, receiving that position and working for a few years more.
When Morgan County Sheriff’s Department received a new sheriff, Chris applied and was hired, quickly climbing the ropes, making corporal and almost immediately making sergeant.
Chris retired March 1, 2022, from Morgan County.
Outside of police work, Chris was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed duck, turkey and deer hunting and had a love for fishing and training coonhounds, while creating his own line of dogs.
Even though he had a love of work and hunting, Chris was a family man who loved spending time with his wife and children and visiting any beach within driving distance. His life’s motto was, “I am the ocean.”
Survivors include wife, Rebecca Dillard; son, Austin Dillard; daughter, Alaina Dillard; mother, Janice Warren Hopkins; and brothers, Jerry David Dillard, Jerry Dillard, Kevin Dillard and James Hill.
Pallbearers were members of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Honorary pallbearers were Gavin Landers, Austin Dillard, John Michael Landers, Aaron Scott, Dalton Scott and Jake Duncan.
Edna Virginia Ballew Bradshaw
Pelham
Funeral service for Edna Virginia Ballew Bradshaw, 89, was held April 9 at 3 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Ben Bates officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in Bethel Cemetery.
Ms. Bradshaw passed away April 5 at Hanceville Health and Rehab. She was born Nov. 16, 1932, in Morgan County to Robert Gentry Ballew and Cleo Gresham Ballew.
She was employed as a telephone operator and clerk for South Central Bell prior to her retirement. She enjoyed traveling and was always smart and spunky.
She was an active member of the Red Hat Society. Her interests included collecting Emmett Kelly clown figurines as well as Donald Duck figurines. She enjoyed crafts, sewing and ceramics.
Being the last of seven children, her family was the most important part of her life, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Survivors include son, Timothy Bradshaw (Mary Ann); daughter, Joan Hammond; grandchildren, Brian Hammond (Stephanie), Jennifer Collier, Emily Bradshaw and Jacob Bradshaw; and great-grandchildren, Brooke, Harper, Rebecca and Charlotte.
Morris Kay Edmonson
Laceys Spring Funeral service for Morris Kay Edmonson, 92, was held April 8 at 11 a.m. at Grace Point Baptist Church with the Rev. Jack Bailey, Kenneth Roberts and Don Murphy officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. His body was laid in state for one hour prior to the service at the church. The burial was in Red Oak Cemetery.
Mr. Edmonson died April 5 at Floyd E. “Tut” Fann Veterans Home. He was born Nov. 2, 1929, in Morgan County to Newt Edmonson and Earle Kay Edmonson.
He was the owner and operator of Kay’s Grocery at Cotaco until his retirement. He was a United States Air Force veteran, a former member of the Cotaco Volunteer Fire Department and a member of Grace Point Baptist Church.
One of his favorite things to do was meet his friends at Jack’s for breakfast, several days a week for several years.
He passed away with his family and his pastor surrounding him.
Preceding him in death were his wife, Shirley Edmonson; a son, Morris Kay Edmonson Jr.; the mother of his children, Jean Edmonson; a sister, Nell Thomas; and his parents.
The family expresses their deep appreciation for the care he was given at the Tut Fann Home and to Hospice of North Alabama.
Survivors include a son, Steve Edmonson (Colleen); daughter, Cynthia Daniel (Mike); daughter-in-law, Becky Beard (Mac); grandchildren, Catherine Bickel (Tyler), Alexander Daniel, Rachael Edmonson and Hannah Edmonson; and great-grandchild, Garrison Bickel.
Pallbearers were Alex Daniel, Robbie Elliott, James Russell, Jeff McClemore, Perry Smith and Scotty Stinson. Honorary pallbearers were Bob Elliott, William Dempsey, Pat Matkin and Bobby Lang.
Dimple Irvin
Somerville Funeral service for Dimple Irvin, 86, was held April 8 at 3 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in West Point Cemetery at Somerville.
Mrs. Irvin died April 5 at Huntsville Hospital. She was born Nov. 15, 1935, in Morgan County, to Gabe David Edwards and Lizzie Ellen Stevenson Irvin.
She was a carrier for the Huntsville Times newspaper prior to her retirement.
Mrs. Irvin loved to garden and read her Bible. She was a member of New Canaan Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.
Survivors include her son, Roy Paul Irvin (Sheiko); sisters, Martha Scott, Iris Brown, Barbara Lowery, Faye Cahela and Lucy Jenkins; and many grandchildren.
Pallbearers were family and friends.
Ima Sue McCaghren
Danville
Funeral service for Ima Sue McCaghren, 81, was held April 10 at 4 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Mike Miller officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was held in Johnson Chapel Cemetery.
Mrs. McCaghren died April 7 at The Terrace at Priceville. She was born May 8, 1940, in Morgan County to Emmett Hogan and Ola Hill Hogan. She was employed by Wayne Farms as a poultry farmer for more than 50 years prior to her retirement. She also worked in the Danville School cafeteria.
She loved collecting antiques and really enjoyed helping others because of her kind and generous nature. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with all of her heart. She was a Baptist in her faith.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Howell McCaghren; her parents; a sister, Shirley Singleton; and a brother, Richard Hogan.
Survivors include one son, Keith McCaghren (Kim); daughter, Anita McCaghren Miller (Mike); brothers, Danny Hogan and Darryl Hogan (Kim); sister, Sandra Luker (Edward); sister-in-law, Dorothy Jarvis; grandchildren, Leah Miller Simpson (Casey), Keith McCaghren (Sarah) and Hunter McCaghren (Candice); and great-grandchildren, Case, Anna Lee and Kelly Grace Simpson and McKinley, Tripp, Briggs and Baylor McCaghren.
Pallbearers were Keith McCaghren, Hunter McCaghren, Casey Simpson, Jesus Silva, Kerry Bullard and Greg George. Honorary pallbearers were the great-grandchildren.
Billy Don Hass Jr.
Guntersville Funeral service for Billy Don Hass Jr., 50, was held April 10 at 2 p.m. at Peck Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Richard Bruce officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Burial was in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Mr. Hass died April 8 at Shepherds Cove Hospice. He was born July 11, 1971, in Morgan County, to Billy Don Hass Sr. and Vickie Edwards Robinson. He previously worked as a chef. He loved his family, his dog, listening to gospel music and watching Alabama football.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Melissa Hass; his father; his grandmother, Gladys Pauliine Edwards; and grandfather, Ralph Conard.
Survivors include his mother and his son, Josh Hass. Pallbearers were family and friends.
Bernard R. Malkmus
Decatur
Bernard Richard Malkmus, 90, of Decatur passed away April 7 at 12:20 pm.
Mr. Malkmus was born Oct. 3, 1931, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Richard Bernard Malkmus and Edna Cecelia LaLande Malkmus.
Mr. Malkmus grew up in Kansas City until the family moved to Wellington, Kansas, in 1948. He graduated from Wellington High School. In October 1952 he married Donna Ruth Sanner of Wellington, Kansas.
He attended the University of Kansas until he was drafted during the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Army CIC Corps and spent 14 months in Northern Japan. After his discharge, he returned to the University of Kansas, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business in 1956.
Bernard was employed by the U.S. Air Force at McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas, attending Wichita State University at night. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from that school.
In 1961 the family moved to Huntsville, where Bernard worked for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He taught accounting at the University of Alabama Huntsville in the evenings for 13 years. He was appointed to the Huntsville Public Library Board and was involved in the creation of WLRH Public Radio Station Huntsville. It was the first public radio station in Alabama.
In 1967 Bernard started attending the Masters Golf Tournament. He attended more than 40 tournaments until 2015.
In 1977 Bernard and Donna moved to Decatur. He was active in his church, and he served on the Burningtree Country Club Board of Directors and the Decatur Public Library Board, serving as chairman.
He was appointed by Gov. Guy Hunt to serve on the Alabama Public Library Board of Directors, where he served as chairman of the Board.
Bernard was elected to serve as one of the Alabama representatives on the White House Conference on Library Information Services. The Alabama Senate recognized him for his 27 years of service with the libraries of Alabama.
Bernard retired from NASA/MSFC as chief of the Fiscal Control Office in 1991.
After retirement he was active in the Sons of Confederate Veterans Sons of Liberty Camp 580. He enjoyed playing golf, reading and traveling with Donna in the U.S. and overseas, cruising to many locations. In 2019 Bernard and Donna moved to Riverside Senior Living, where he enjoyed books on tape and the many activities and the fellowship with other residents. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Phyllis Johnson, of Wellington, Kansas; and sons David Richard Malkmus and Douglas Paul Malkmus. He is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Donna S. Malkmus; one son, Jeffrey K. Malkmus (Kellie) of Athens; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A memorial mass will be held at Annunciation Catholic Church April 20 from noon to 1 p.m. A private burial will be held at Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville. Peck Funeral Home is assisting the family.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. We wish to thank our Riverside family, staff and Hospice of the Valley for their love and friendship. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Annunciation of The Lord Catholic Church, Decatur Public Library or the charity of your choice.
