James Ware McCarty, a resident of Dothan, Alabama died Saturday, February 14, 2026 at Washington Rehab and Nursing in Chipley, Florida. He was 80.
Graveside services will be held at 2 PM Thursday, February 19, 2026 at Gardens of Memory cemetery between Dothan and Headland on Hwy 431.
James was born September 15, 1945 in Columbus, Georgia. He moved to Dothan at an early age and graduated from Dothan High School. James began a career as a Heavy Equipment Operator with the City of Dothan where he worked for 25 years before retiring.
James is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Doris Shirah.
Survivors include his son, Christopher J. McCarty; granddaughter, Kristen Wagg and her children, Riley and Reagan; brother, Will and Ceciela McCarty; nephew, Steven McCarty and niece, Heather and Jonathan Hurt; special friends and caregivers, Ms. Alice Bennett, Marie and Len Peterson and Mr. Wallace Yarbrough.
Billie Grace (Ketchem) Clark, 85, went home to be with the Lord peacefully on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at her home with family after a hard-fought illness. Billie was born on June 29, 1940, in Slocomb, Alabama to her mother Audrey Mae (White) (Ketchem) Wilson and her father Shelby Ketchem.
She is survived by her daughter, Terri Lyn (Boyles) Jennings (Robert); two sons, Gregory Clark and Grant Clark. Eight grandchildren, Ashley (Boyles) Martin-Culet (Michael), Amber (Boyles) Bibiloni (David), Christopher Knoff (Ashley), Jessica (Knoff) Garcia, Samantha Knoff, Jonathan Knoff, Courtney (Knoff) Allen (Michael) and Brittany Clark (Dustin); and sixteen great-grandchildren. Preceding her in death is her husband of 50 years, Gerald (Jerry) Kavanaugh Clark(2009) and her loving parents.
Billie Grace was born and raised in Slocomb, Alabama. Throughout her youth, she was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Slocomb. She was a graduate of Slocomb High School in 1957. During her senior year, she was the school, county, and district winner of the Birmingham News Oratorical Contest. She progressed to the state finals in Birmingham, AL., where she was awarded a college scholarship. In pursuit of her major in Elementary Education and a Minor in music, she attended Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL. and Troy University in Troy, AL. During the summer months, she attended the University of Alabama Extension Center in Dothan, AL. Billie Grace was blessed with intelligence, wit, and beauty. She was Geneva County’s Maid of Cotton in 1958, was voted Sophomore Beauty at Troy University in1959. She was a member of the Collegiate Singers, Baptist Student Union and Music Educator’s National Conference. Her sorority at Birmingham-Southern was Pi Beta Phi and as an adult, she was an active member of Beta Sigma Phi, an international service, cultural, and social sorority for women.
During the early years of her marriage, Billie Grace was a homemaker, where she devoted her time to her husband and three children. Her husband was in retail management for the F.W. Woolworth Company for 35 years and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. for 12 years. They traveled to and lived in many different cities throughout the Southeastern part of the United States. When the children were older, Billie began her career. She was a Sales Analyst for the Regional Office of American Cryogenics, a Sales and Market Research Specialist involving organizing in-store promotions and radio commercials, a Sales Trainer and Sales Representative for the Southeast region for Bic Corporation for 15 years. Billie also worked for the Duval County Public School System in Jacksonville, FL for 13 years. She worked in Special Education for one year and in the Library Media Center for 12 years. She retired in 2004.
Billie Grace was proud of her upbringing and of her small town of Slocomb, Alabama. The values that she had learned from her family and friends in that small town stayed with her throughout her lifetime. She had a passionate love and gift for writing poetry and short stories. She enjoyed collecting antiques and spending time with her family. She was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She always looked for the good in others and was a loyal and trusted friend. She loved deeply and touched so many lives. Above all, she loved the Lord with all her heart and is rejoicing in Heaven.
A memorial service for Billie Grace will be held at Thomas B Dobies Funeral Home on February 26, 2026, at 2 pm.
Obituary from Holman Funeral Home of Ozark – Ozark, Alabama
Sister Dorothy Willene Paul Wilkerson, a resident of the Ewell Community was welcomed into the arms of her Lord and Savior Friday evening February 13, 2026, at Oakview Manor with her loving family by her side. She was 98 years old. Funeral services for Sister Wilkerson will be 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home in Ozark with Reverend Joey Hudspeth and Reverend Michael Woodham officiating. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memory Gardens, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home in Ozark Wednesday from 10:00 A.M. until service time. Flowers will be accepted. Serving as pallbearers will be Tony Culley, Keith Culley, Jamie Culley, David Money, Ryan Rhoades, Kaden Griswold and Mason Arguelles.
Sister Wilkerson was born May 19, 1927 in North Dale County, Alabama to the late Mack Howard Paul and Minnie Lee Johnson Paul. After high school, Willene met and married Bob Culley while he was stationed at Fort Rucker in the Army. They later moved to Maryland where they made their home for twelve years until their divorce. Sister Willene moved the family back to Ozark and later she married Marrell Wilkerson. She worked with White Knight Manufacturing Company in Ozark as a seamstress. Willene and Marrell operated Kenny’s Truck Stop in Brundidge, she worked with Ozark Home Health, and worked as a cook at the Ice House in Ozark where she made the perfect hush-puppy. Sister Willene was a long-time member of Matthews Avenue Church of God, and helped start Cornerstone Holiness Church in Ariton. She was a strong woman of faith, always giving to someone in need, or taking someone into her home, but most importantly sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her children and grandchildren were her world celebrating five generations. She loved to cook for her family, travel and tend her flowers. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husbands, Walter J. Bob Culley and Levy Marrell Wilkerson; one daughter, Cindy Marlene Butler; two sons, Bobby Culley and Bruce Culley; one sister, Mildred Gardner; one brother, Jessie Frank Paul; two grandchildren, Kevin Culley and Melissa Wilkerson. Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Betty Ann and W. M. Bill Sullivan of Ozark; two sons and daughters-in-law, Howard Lee and Debbie Culley of Taylor and Levy Lamar and Nell Wilkerson of Ozark; two daughters-in-law, Ann Culley of Rising Sun, Maryland and Ginny Culley of Abbeville; son-in-law, Keith Butler of Ozark; grandchildren, Jamie Culley (Pam) of Rising Sun, Maryland, Tony Culley (Rebecca) of Ozark, Keith Culley (Chelsea) of Skipperville, Jena DeVane of Newton, Brandy Rhoades (Ryan) of the Chalkhead Community, Amber Garza (Ed) of the Rocky Head Community, Mikaela Hudspeth (Ian) of Ozark, David Money and Joel Money both of Abbeville; twenty-eight great grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren. Several nieces and nephews also survive. The family would like to thank the staff of Oakview Manor for the love and care they gave her.
Ruth Arlene Franklin, passed away peacefully on February 14, 2026, in Dothan, Alabama.
Born on February 26, 1954, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to the late W. C. Spurlock and Norma Nicholson Spurlock, Ruth was the beloved wife of Ray Franklin, with whom she shared 39 years of marriage filled with laughter, support, and countless cherished memories. Together, they raised a family that was the center of Ruth’s world. She was a devoted mother to her sons, David, Jimmy, and Allen Franklin, and she took immense pride in her role as a grandmother to Chasity Burkett, Chelsea Franklin, Caitlynn Franklin, Shana Knight, and Carlton Burkett. Ruth’s joy was multiplied with the arrival of her seven great-grandchildren, each of whom brought a sparkle to her eye and warmth to her heart.
Preceded in death by her parents, W. C. Spurlock and Norma Nicholson Spurlock, and her brother, Frank Spurlock, Ruth’s legacy is carried on by her loving sisters, Sharon Kennedy, Faye Simmons, Diane Sawyer, Vivian Jackson, and Judy Chambless. Her family remembers her as a beacon of strength and love, a woman who nurtured deep roots and strong bonds.
A proud graduate of Early County High School, Ruth found a love for gardening, finding peace and contentment in the act of nurturing plants and flowers to life. Her garden was a vibrant reflection of her soul, full of color and life. Ruth’s love for the beach was well-known, with Panama City holding a special place in her heart. It was there that she felt most at peace, with the sand between her toes and the sound of the waves providing a soothing backdrop to her thoughts. Photography was another of Ruth’s interests, allowing her to capture the beauty of the world around her. Her photographs are treasured keepsakes that will continue to tell the story of her keen eye for beauty and her appreciation for the moments that make life precious.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 PM, Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Bethel Baptist Church.
Mrs. Margie Clark Wade, a resident of Dothan, passed away Friday, February 13, 2026 at Extendicare Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Graveside Services will be held at Gardens of Memory Cemetery on Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 11:30am with Pastor Troy West officiating and Glover Funeral Home directing. The family will receive friends from 9:45am until 10:45am on Thursday at Glover Funeral Home.
Flowers will be accepted or memorial contributions may be made to Wiregrass Humane Society, PO Box 1045, Dothan, AL 36302.
Mrs. Wade was born in Houston County Alabama on August 13, 1945, the daughter of Merlin and Agnes Bedsole Clark. She spent most of her early years growing up in the Malvern community. She graduated from Dothan High School in 1963. She married the love of her life at the age of eighteen and became a homemaker for her husband and later her two sons. Mrs. Wade enjoyed baking and cooking, shopping, gardening, and anything to do with flowers, especially keeping the yards manicured. She loved jewelry and shoes just as much as cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide Football team as well as the Atlanta Braves baseball team. She was an avid lover of her cats and dogs, but her love for her grandchildren was her greatest passion.
Mrs. Wade is preceded in death by an infant son, her parents, and two brothers, Wayne Clark and Larry Clark.
Mrs. Wade’s memories will last and live on through her husband of sixty- three years, Herman Wade of Dothan; her two sons, Terry Wade (Corbie) of Hartford and Michael Wade (Kelli) of Dothan; five grandchildren, Hunter, Haley, Holden, Peyton, Katie; nieces and nephews, Cindy Clark, David Clark, and Wayne Clark.
Glover Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. (334) 699-3888. Please sign the guestbook online at www.gloverfuneral.com
