Obituaries

Obituaries, week of July 20, 2022

Doris Marie Martin

Mrs. Doris Marie Martin, age 86, of Poarch, Ala., passed away in the early morning on Monday, July 11, 2022 at her home. She was a native and lifelong resident of Poarch and a member of Poarch Community Church, where she was a former singer in the Heavenly Voices. She was a proud member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Marie was a mother and grandmother to many. She loved to cook, quilt, shell peas, talk on the phone, sit on the front porch, and socialize with family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Otha Martin; an infant son, Paul Martin; parents, Doris’ “Buck” McGhee and Lunie Mae Presley McGhee; two brothers, John Arthur McGhee and Clifton McGhee; and three sisters, Hattie Mae McGhee, Francis Robbins and Julia Ann McGhee Stacey.

Mrs. Martin is survived by her three sons, Lamar (Charlotte) Martin of Pensacola, Fla., Nathan (Susan) Martin of Atmore, Ala. and Nelson Martin of Poarch; one daughter, Pauline (Lamar) Wilson of Atmore; one sister, Ellen Maxine Johnson of Poarch; ten grandchildren; twenty-seven great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild,-and two caregivers, Mary Poindexter and Robin Godwin.

Funeral services will be held at Petty- Eastside Chapel Funeral Home Friday, July 15, 2022 at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Judson – Creek Indian Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Thursday, July 14, 2022 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Poarch

Community Church.

Pallbearers will be Joshua Martin, Keith Martin, Jerry Faircloth, Jerry Buck Sells, Timmy Martin, and Jeremy McGhee.

Honorary pallbearers will Ken Beck, Phillip Martin, Randy Martin, Lathaniel McGhee, Rodney McGhee, Tony Sells, Gerry McGhee, Garvis Sells, Robert Duckworth, Matt Martin, Boone McGhee, and Jon Dean.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC. in charge of all arrangements. Atmore, Ala.

Mary Stella McGhee Gibbs

Gibbs

Sister Mary Stella McGhee Gibbs, age 86, of Atmore, Ala., passed away Monday, July 11, 2022 in Pensacola, Fla. She was born in Atmore to Kinzie and Ethel McGhee. She and her husband pastored over fifty years at United Pentecostal Church of Atmore. Upon the death of her husband, she co-pastored at First Pentecostal Church of McCullough until her passing. She was a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Rev. Fred Gibbs; her siblings, Raymond McGhee, Willie Lois Fore, Joe Frank McGhee and Carolyn Rackard; her great-grandson, David Landon White.

Sister Gibbs is survived by her son, David (Patricia) Gibbs of Atmore; her daughter, Rosemary Powell of Atmore; her sister, Betty Ruth (Gene) Sheppard of Dothan, Ala.; her granddaughters: Ashley (Chad) White, Lindsay (Michael) Wood, Stacey (Kevin) White and LaRose (Mark) Watson and her great-grandchildren, Hayden, LeReya, Bryson, Marcus, Huxley, Brayden, Kinzie, Kylie, Hadley and Khloe.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 10 a.m. at Atmore Memorial Chapel with Rev. Alton Lister, Rev. Steve Breceda and Rev. J.B. Sims officiating.  Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Active pallbearers will be Cecil Corey, Ken McGhee, Chet McGhee, Jason Rackard, Jeremy Rackard and Robert Hollingsworth.

The family will receive friends Friday, July 15, 2022 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Atmore Memorial Chapel.

Atmore Memorial Chapel in charge of arrangements. 1400 E. Nashville Ave., Atmore, Ala.

Dewey Gordon Fowler

Mr. Dewey Gordon Fowler, age 82, passed away Tuesday, July 12, 2022 in Pensacola, Fla. surrounded by family at his bedside. He was a lifelong resident of Bratt, Fla. He retired from farming with many years of service. He loved to attend Enon Baptist Church every chance he got. He valued time he spent with his family. He lived to see five generations in the family. He was a “Busters” tea drinker. He enjoyed driving around looking at crops and talking with all the other local farmers about their crops. He enjoyed taking care of his lawn. On Saturday and Sunday, he always loved to sit around and listen to gospel music.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harvey Gordon Fowler and Lou Jean Houck Daniels; his loving wife of 55 years, Peggy Fowler; two sons, Pat Fowler, Tim Fowler; two brothers, Jasper Fowler, Robert Fowler; one grandson, Harvey Gordon Fowler, Jr; and son-in law, Jeremy Raybon.

Mr. Fowler is survived by his one son, Harvey (Marie) Fowler of Monroeville, Ala.; one daughter Tammy Raybon, of Monroeville; daughter-in law, Sue (Mike) Kitzinger of Camden, Ala.; one brother Edgar (Judy) Fowler, of Krum, TX; six grandchildren, Jennifer (Ashley) Hayward, Jeremy (Shellie) Fowler, Sean Bayles, Allen (Tiffani) Fowler, Christopher (Ashley) Kitzinger, Sydney (Johnathan) Welch; eleven great-grandchildren, Tristan (Kathy) Fowler, Cullen, Beau, Emma, Alli, Jeremy Jr; Sage, Levi, Marleigh, Madison, Lanie; two great-great-grandchildren, Hayden, Lauxus; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 15, 2022 at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC. at 3 p.m. with Mike Kitzinger officiating and kind loving words from granddaughter, Jennifer Hayward. Burial will follow at Walnut Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Thursday, July 14, 2022 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC.

Pallbearers will be Jeremy Fowler, Sean Bayles, Tristan Fowler, Ashley Hayward, Allen Fowler, and Leon Gibson.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC. in charge of all arrangements. Atmore, Ala.

Ira Harrison (Harry) Moore 

Moore

Dr. Ira Harrison (Harry) Moore, M.D., age 69, of Austin, Texas, (Batesville, MS) formerly of Atmore, Ala., Functional Medicine physician with FORUM HEALTH, Austin, passed away Monday, July 4, 2022, from cancer of the brain.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Ben J. Moore and Frances Legge Moore and an older brother, Robert (Bobby) Warren Moore, (Caroline Moore, Horn Lake, MS), all of Batesville, Miss.

Dr. Moore is survived by his spouse of forty-five years Joanne Owen Moore (Clinton, MS); his six children, Alison (Doug) English, Atlanta, Ga., Lauren (Matt) Brownfield, Austin, Sarah (Rob) Lee, Katy, TX, Owen (Mary Catherine) Moore, Hoover, Ala., Melissa Moore of Austin, and Emily (Chris) Espinosa of Manor, TX. and thirteen grandchildren.

Dr. Moore attended South Panola High School in Batesville, MS, where he played as offensive guard and kicker for the 1970 Delta Valley championship football team. He graduated in 1971. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in biology with honors and distinction from Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee (1975), he went on to study medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, MS, where he met his wife Joanne. They were married on December 18, 1976 in the Old Chapel on the Mississippi College campus.

Dr. Moore graduated with a Doctorate of Medicine in 1979, and completed the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program at The University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1979-1982). One of his cherished memories was being on the sidelines as one of the team doctors for Coach Bear Bryant’s 315th career win, forever solidifying his loyalty to the University of Alabama’s football team. Roll Tide!

The summer of 1982, Dr. Moore moved his growing family to Atmore, where he practiced family medicine for twenty-six years for Physicians Associates, which he eventually bought and changed the name to Moore Clinic for Wholeness & Health (1982-2008). His commitment to serving his patients with a holistic approach to medicine led him in 2009 to Austin, Texas, to pursue a full time Functional Medicine practice, eventually owning his own clinic, Austin Complete Health, which he sold to Forum Health, Austin where he continued to practice medicine until his health declined.

Dr. Moore was a man of deep and abiding faith. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church during his time in Atmore, Alabama, an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, and a member of All Saints Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. His faith led him and his wife to home educate their six children where he took an active role in their instruction by teaching them on his day off, as well as, reading Scripture and praying with them every morning. His practice of morning prayer continued until the end of his life, each day praying for his adult children, their spouses and all thirteen grandchildren.

Dr. Moore enjoyed beekeeping and many of his friends and neighbors in Atmore benefited from his yearly honey harvest. Always an avid learner, during more recent years, he dabbled with a large salt water fish aquarium, portrait painting, and playing the cello. His most recent means of relaxation he obtained by joining the Nautical Boat Club where he spent many afternoons piloting family and friends around Lake Austin. However, nothing topped his joy of Alabama football.

An alumnus of the Sigma Nu Fraternity (Epsilon Sigma Chapter, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN), Dr. Moore was also a board-certified member of the American Academy of Family Practice (1982—2022), certified by the Institute in Functional Medicine, a former Board Member of Baptist Hospital, Pensacola, FL, a former Medical Director of Atmore Nursing Care Center, Atmore, AL, a member and past president of the medical staff at Atmore Community Hospital, as well as, a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society.

A Memorial Service will be held on August 13, 2022, at two o’clock in the afternoon.

All Saints Presbyterian Church, 7808 Rialto Blvd, Austin, TX 78735

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN ( https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=wtg-lz-donatenow ); The Source, Austin, TX ( https://giveaustin.thesource.org/give/386065/#!/donation/checkout ) or All Saints Missions ( https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form/?svcid=chrch&formId=8e297fcb-fee3-4510-a7a2-0ac653fa65e4&envid=p-WmmMt809Jk6XyUxxVtrAdg

Sylvia Austin

Austin

Mrs. Sylvia Austin, age 62, of Pensacola, Fla., formerly of Century, Fla., passed away suddenly Sunday, July 3, 2022 at UAB Hospital – Gardendale, Ala. She was a 1977 graduate of Century (FL) High School. She worked as a CNA and a Home Health Aide for many years. She enjoyed traveling, cooking, and listening to music.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander Scott, Jr. and Lizzie Mae Scott; her grandmother, Gladys Anderson; her step-daughter, Vickie Curry.

Mrs. Austin is survived by her husband, Andrew George Austin of Pensacola; her daughter, Pamela Luckie Spears of Pensacola; her son, Eddie Luckie, Jr. of Pensacola; three sisters, Sandra Santos of Orlando, Fla., Adrianne Anderson of Century and Linda Anderson of Pensacola; one brother, Preston Scott of Pensacola; eleven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, a host of nieces, Nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.

Funeral service was held Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Pilgrim Lodge Baptist Church – Century with Rev. Michael Steward, Pastor, officiating. Inhumation was in Century Cemetery. Turner Funeral Chapel in charge of all arrangements.

James F. Tolin

Tolin

Mr. James F. Tolin, age 48, of Atmore, Ala., passed away recently.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Baptist Church with Dr. Tim Tew and Dr. Larry Patterson officiating. Interment will follow at Serenity Gardens Cemetery in Atmore, Ala.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, July 20, 2022 from 1:30 p.m. until service time at 2:30 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pilots for Christ.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Lois Elizabeth Luker Amerson  

Amerson

Lois Elizabeth Luker Amerson, age 91, passed away peacefully in Allen, Texas Friday, July 15, 2022. She was born in McCullough, Ala. to Madora and Ezell Luker. She was a devoted Christian and a long-time member of Presley Street Baptist Church. She retired from Monsanto before moving closer to her family in Louisiana and then to Dallas, Texas. Throughout her life, Lois was involved in numerous associations and social events. She loved and prioritized her family above all else while giving everyone unconditional love and support. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, and husband.

Mrs. Amerson is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Albert E. and Leah Amerson, Jr. of Colleyville, Texas, Danny and Sharon Amerson of Hammond, La. and Scott and Jane Amerson of Fairview, Texas; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life graveside service will be held Thursday, July 21, 2022 at Noon at Godwin Cemetery in Bratt, Fla.

The family will receive friends Thursday, July 21, 2022 from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.

Our family believes that we have not lost our mother, Heaven has received another angel. Mom will live in our hearts forever, so we feel that there is no need to say you are sorry.  In lieu of flowers the family requests making a donation in Lois Amerson’s remembrance to The American Cancer Society.  

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Susana Vega English

Mrs. Susana Vega English, age 87, of Atmore, Ala., passed away Thursday, July 14, 2022 in Pensacola, Fla.  She was born in Carrizozo, N.M. to Frank and Mariana Reyes Vega.  Early in life, she was employed as a Legal Secretary.  She was a memberof Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jesse Willard English; her daughter, Valerie Ann English and two siblings.

Mrs. English is survived by her sons, Michael English, Bruce English and Robert English; her daughter, Terri Quinn; her grandchildren, Brittany Alicia Taylor, Joseph Rayne Portillo, Payton Joseph English, Colton Jesse English, Benjamin English, Shawn English, Ryan Quinn and Erin Quinn.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 10 a.m. at Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church with Father Joseph officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, July 20, 2022 from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Atmore, AL.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.