Former Henry County Coroner - Former Henry County Sheriff - Coowner of Holman Headland Mortuaries Passes Away

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
Date: Apr 30 2017 1:32 PM

HEADLAND:    Early this morning Mr. Norman Holman passed away after a lengthy illness.

Graveside funeral services are at First Methodist Church cemetery in Headland on Monday at 4 PM. Visitation will be held at Holman Headland Mortuary from 2 PM until 3:50 PM on Monday.

For 24 years Mr. Norman Holman served the citizens of Henry County as Coroner. During his tenure as Coroner longtime Henry County Sheriff Francis Welcher passed away during this Sheriff tenure.

Under Alabama Law, unless there is a Supernumary Sheriff the Coroner becomes Sheriff until the Governor appoints someone to be Sheriff.

When Sheriff Welcher passed was during the election cycle. Both Lawton Ed Armstrong and James Golden were seeking election as Sheriff. The Governor at the time was Guy Hunt. Since the election was contested Governor Hunt appointed Norman Holman to serve the remainder of Sheriff Welcher's term. So Coroner Norman Holman then became Henry County Sheriff Norman Holman and Coroner Norman Holman, serving in both capacities.

While Sheriff Holman took the job very serious. He worked hard serving the people as their Sheriff and was in the office each and every day. Norman enjoyed that time and remained as Sheriff until the very last hour of Sheriff Welcher's term.

Lawton Ed Armstrong was elected and took over the reigns as Sheriff from Holman.

After a few more years as Henry County Coroner Holman retired.

Norman Holman was co-owner of Holman - Headland Mortuary and Holman - Abbeville Mortuary with his two brothers, Russell Holman and John Robert Holman.

To say Norman loved his football team Alabama would be a understatement. He loved the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Our prayers are with the family of Norman Holman and the staff of Holman - Headland and Holman - Abbeville as they bury one of their own.

OBITUARY

 

HEADLAND. . .Norman Duggan Holman, Sr., a lifelong resident of Headland, died early Sunday morning, April 30, 2017, in a Dothan hospital. He was 73.

            Graveside services will be held at 4:00 P.M. Monday, May 1, 2017, in the Headland Methodist Cemetery with Reverend Norman C. Simmons officiating. Holman-Headland Mortuary & Cremations is in charge of arrangements. The family will receive friends from 2:00 until 3:50 at the mortuary.

            In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Headland United Methodist Church or to the Headland Methodist Cemetery Fund, 103 West King Street, Headland, AL 36345.

            Norman Holman was a lifelong resident of Headland, son of the late Wilton Russell Holman, Sr. and Syble Duggan Holman. He was a 1961graduate of Headland High School where he excelled in football. Norman later attended and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1965. He was licensed as a funeral director and embalmer in Alabama and Florida and served as President of Headland & Abbeville Mortuaries, Inc. before retiring in 2016. Norman received a fifty year membership pin from the Alabama Funeral Directors Association in 2011. He was a member of the Academy of Graduate Embalmers of Georgia and received the President’s Award in 2001 and the Service Award in 2015. Norman served as Henry County Coroner for twenty-four years and also served as Henry County Sheriff in 1990 due to the death of Sheriff J.F. Welcher. 

            Norman formerly served as a member of the Headland City Council and was selected as Headland’s Man of the Year in 1976. He was a member of the Headland United Methodist Church and the Brown’s Crossroads Masonic Lodge No. 529.  Norman formerly served as Worshipful Master of the Headland Masonic Lodge No. 438.

            Surviving relatives include two sons, Norman D. (Dugg) Holman, Jr. (Susan), Owasso, Oklahoma; and David Clinton Holman, Headland; two brothers, W. Russell Holman, Jr. (Debbie), and John R. Holman (Jeanine), all of Headland; five grandchildren, Jenna Holman Mead, Craig Holman, Kathryn Holman, Michelle McRae and Sabrina Holman; several great-grandchildren; a special friend and caretaker, Loren Sellers.

            Serving as active pallbearers will be Donnie Smith, Jim Burnham, Randy Crenshaw, Cary Watkins, Dr. W. Russell Holman, III and Dennis Coe.

 

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