Mrs. Melba Ruth White Rush

by Sorrells Funeral Home | Dec 28, 2024 | Obituaries

Sorrells Funeral Home

P.O. Box 159

1315 West Lawrence Harris Hwy.

Slocomb, AL 36375

(334) 886-7777

Obituary: Mrs. Melba Ruth White Rush

Mrs. Melba Ruth White Rush of Dothan went home to be with the Lord Friday, December 27, 2024, at her home.  She was 80.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025, in the chapel of Sorrells Funeral Home in Slocomb with Rev. Kevin Knight officiating.  Interment will follow in the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to service time.

Mrs. Rush was born June 21, 1944, in Geneva County to the late Lummie and Mary Ruth Leddon White. Melba was a great woman of faith and member of the Dothan First Church of the Nazarene. She enjoyed collecting, especially angels, and loved to decorate.  Melba was a loving wife, and adoring mother, and grandmother and will be dearly missed.

In addition to her parents, siblings: Jossie Oyle White, Johner Eldridge White, James Franklin White, and Kenneth Lamar White, all preceded her in death.

Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Ronnie Franklin Rush; children: Sheila Louise Byrd (Darin), and Robert Franklin Rush; five grandchildren: Phillip Arons, Thomas Arons, Jessica Arons, Anthony Cain, and Macie Rush; four great grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, other extended family friends, and her loving husky Dakota.

Sorrells Funeral Home of Slocomb

(334) 886-7777, is in charge of arrangements.

“Because We Care … Is Making A Difference”

To sign a guest register, please visit

www.sorrellsfuneral.com

Obituary of Betty Thompson Davis

by Holman Funeral Home of Ozark | Dec 27, 2024 | Obituaries

Martha Baxter Raley

by Holman Mortuaries | Dec 27, 2024 | Obituaries

KINSEY. . .Martha Baxter Raley, a resident of Kinsey, died early Friday afternoon, December 27, 2024, at her home. She was 96.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, December 30, 2024, in the Kinsey Baptist Church with Reverend Joel Laseter and Chaplain Kevin Kelly officiating. The family will receive friends from 10:00 until 11:00 A.M. Monday in the church sanctuary. Graveside services will be at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday in Gardens of Memory. Holman-Headland Mortuary & Cremations is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Kinsey Baptist Church, 6745 Walden Drive, Kinsey, AL 36303.
Mrs. Raley was born and reared in Headland, daughter of the late Terrance Moran Baxter, Sr. and Annie Genie Avant Baxter. She was a 1946 graduate of Headland High School. Mrs. Raley lived in Webb before moving to Kinsey in 1950. She was a member of Kinsey Baptist Church where she served as a Sunday School teacher and was active in Vacation Bible School and was also a member of the Beatrice Sunday School Class. Mrs. Raley was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Edward “Pat” Raley, Sr., her brothers, Jim Baxter, Franklin Baxter and Moran Baxter, and her sisters, Betty Fairchild, Louise Carswell and Leah Durkee.
Surviving relatives include two daughters, Evelyn Raley Laseter, and Jo Anne Raley Decker (Charles), all of Kinsey; a son, Harold E. Raley, Jr. (Cheryl), Kinsey; grandchildren, Shea Calhoun (Jason), Hal Raley, III, Chris Raley (Lisa), Allison Raley Williams (Jay), John Laseter (Amanda), Rachel Exum, Reverend Joel Laseter (KrisAnn), Corey Decker and Patricia Decker; thirteen great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
Serving as active pallbearers will be the grandsons.
The family would like to express their appreciation to Gentiva Hospice and also sitters, Judy McArdle Hough, Valerie Underwood, Marianne Chapman and the Geraldine Bennett sitting service for the loving care and kindness shown to Mrs. Raley during her illness.

Hudson Joseph Meek

by Searcy Funeral Home | Dec 27, 2024 | Obituaries

Hudson Joseph Meek, 16 years old from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, died peacefully on December 21, 2024. He was surrounded by friends, family, and the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hudson was an organ donor, and his family is comforted by knowing that he will continue to help others for years to come.

A Celebration of Hudson’s Life will take place on December 28, 2024 at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood, Alabama at 11:30 am central time, and a visitation with the family will begin at 9:30 am central. You may livestream the service via Hudson’s Instagram account or Lani’s Facebook account.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Hudson J. Meek Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded annually to a Vestavia Hills High School student. Contributions can be made by Venmo to HudsonMeekScholarship or by making a deposit at any Wells Fargo branch into Account #5908190381.

Hudson was born on August 5, 2008 to his parents, Derek Firth Meek and Lani Wells Meek. He was a sophomore at Vestavia Hills High School and a proud member of the Vestavia Hills Rebel Football Team. He was also involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Honor Choir, and SGA. Outside of school, Hudson loved gathering with his close friends, water sports, anything in the woods, traveling, and acting for television and film. He loved playing and watching all sports, but especially football, basketball, boxing, and anything involving the Auburn Tigers.

Hudson was reflective and thoughtful, however he was tenacious when he set his mind to something. He became a certified open water scuba diver at 13 years old and followed that up with an advanced open water certification later that year. He visited all 50 U.S. states and next wanted to visit all 7 continents. He loved snow-skiing and could easily navigate the hardest trails that no one else in the family would dare attempt. One of his favorite places to be was at the lake, tubing and wakeboarding. Some of the less active achievements he was proud of included video games and binge-watching every single episode of all 36 seasons of “The

Simpsons” and a variety of other shows, many of which were viewed without his parents’ knowledge and probably weren’t appropriate for whatever age he was when he watched them.  Hudson had a keen ear for great music and was constantly editing “the perfect playlist” for every occasion. He fiercely loved the family dog, “Rosie”, who already knows something is off at home without him and is grieving in her own way.

Hudson’s personality was one of a kind. He was confident, convicted in his beliefs, spontaneous, and quick-witted. He never let the facts get in the way of a funny story, and he loved friendly banter. He was a prankster, loved a good joke, and was happiest when he was making others laugh. Hudson thrived in settings that allowed him to meet and serve new people.  Hudson was a vibrant and dynamic person who lived life to the fullest.

Hudson was also an accomplished actor. He worked on several major motion pictures and television shows, some of which will be released in 2025. He absolutely loved spending time on set and having the chance to learn the names and stories of every member of the cast and crew.

More than anything, Hudson was passionate about his Christian faith. He loved Bible Study meetings, youth retreats, mission trips, and just being at church. An active member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Hudson also attended youth events with friends at Shades Mountain Baptist, Vestavia Hills United Methodist, Mountain Brook Community Church, and any other church he could find with a youth event that focused on Jesus Christ. He especially loved gathering with his football teammates for Bible Study at the home of Coach Buddy Anderson.

Other worship leaders too numerous to name poured into Hudson’s Christian walk, and some of Hudson’s most impactful moments came from faith-based meetings that shaped his spirituality.  Hudson’s family is comforted and eternally grateful for those and other moments where adults fostered the faith of Hudson and students like him.

Hudson loved his family. He was survived by his parents; his older brother Tucker Firth Meek; his grandmothers Margaret Green Meek and Faye Searcy Wells; Aunt and Uncle Douglas Christopher Royal and Laura Elizabeth Royal; Aunt and Uncle William Harvey Klima, Jr. (Bill) and Dorothy Elizabeth Klima (Liddy); First Cousins William Harvey Klima, III (Tripp), Benjamin Warren Klima, Vincent Wells Klima, Tyson Kate Royal, and Sydney Parks Royal; countless other cousins and relatives which he loved to see at family gatherings: and he is further survived by other friends and relatives. He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Harold Firth Meek (2018) Joseph Lance Wells (2006), and his uncle, Joseph Warren Wells (1987).

You may sign the register book or send condolences to the family at our website:   www.searcyfuneralhome.com .