Obituaries 1/27
Published 8:45 pm Friday, January 26, 2007
The News Courier will publish, free of charge, death notices including the name, age and city of residence of the deceased, date and place of death, and time and place of funeral service and visitation. Family members may express themselves in a eulogy, list survivors and give detailed obituary. The News Courier will accept these paid items from the family, funeral directors or other individuals. Paid obituaries may include a photo at no extra charge. For information, call Vanessa Byars at The News Courier, 232-2720.
Ruby Pauline Ball Barker
The funeral for Ruby Pauline Ball Barker, 93, of Athens, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home with Steve Klein and Casey Harbin officiating.
Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery in Athens.
Visitation will be from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Barker died Friday, Jan. 26, 2007, at Limestone Health Facility.
Eddie “Buddy” Berzett
The funeral for Eddie “Buddy” Berzett, 81, of Athens, will be 2 p.m. today at Spry Funeral Home with Jeff May and Lowell Blankenship officiating. Burial will be in Sandlin Cemetery.
Visitation will be from noon until 2 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Mr. Berzett died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007, at Limestone Health Facility.
He was born May 27, 1925, in Limestone County. He was a member of Oakland Church of Christ and a retired mechanic. He was also a World War II U.S. Navy veteran. He was preceded in death by his wife, Maurine Berzett; a brother, Erdie Berzett, and a grandson, Kaden Green.
Survivors include two daughters, Malinda Lovell and husband, Jessie, of Athens, and Deborah Hill, also of Athens; one sister, Jewell Clark of Elkmont; two brothers, Alfred Berzett of Athens and James Berzett of Florida; 10 grandchildren, Jennifer Green, Elizabeth Eubanks, Michael Lovell, Christopher Lovell, Wendy Kellum, John Hill, James Holt, Felicia Holt and Nicolas Hill, all of Athens, and Bruce Hill of Prospect, Tenn.; 18 great-grandchildren, Erica Eubanks, Zachary Eubanks, Jake Lovell, Megan Lovell, Stacey Green, Crystal Green, Chyna Green, Andrew Lovell, Avery Lovell, Autumn Lovell, Ryan Dohrman, Justin Dohrman, Dylan Kellum, Taylor Hill, Levi Hill, Maria Holt, Makenzie Holt and William Carter, all of Athens.
Grandsons will be pallbearers.
Robert Lovett
The funeral for Robert Lovett, 44, of Madison, will be announced by McConnell Funeral Home. Mr. Lovett died Friday, Jan. 26, 2007, at Huntsville Hospital.
Iris Wynell Pritchett
The funeral for Iris Wynell Nuss Pritchett, 79, of Athens, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home with Frankie Murphy and Doug Raburn officiating.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan, Ga.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at Limestone Chapel and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Higgins Hillcrest Funeral Home in Newnan, Ga.
Mrs. Pritchett died Friday, Jan. 26, 2007, at her residence. She was born Jan. 24, 1928, in Cullman to Oscar Herman Nuss and Lillian Lee Nuss. She was a member of the New Oakland Baptist Church.
She is survived by her husband, James William Pritchett of Athens; one daughter, Dianna Pritchett Raburn and husband Dwight of Athens; three grandchildren, Tammy Cash and husband Jimmy, Rory Thompson and wife LaDonna, and Gig Yvette Devine and husband Barry; three step-grandchildren, Lisa Nuss and husband Joe, Doug Raburn and wife Lisa and Sharlyne Bailey and husband Sherald; six great-grandchildren, seven step-great-grandchildren; two step-great-great-grandchildren; three brothers, Gene Nuss and wife Shirley, Wayne Nuss and wife Sandi, and Jerry Nuss and wife Beki, all of Cullman; and two sisters, Dorothy Hickey and Brenda Wix, both of Cullman.
Pallbearers will be Barry Devine, Rory Thompson, Jimmy Cash, Joshua Cash and Horace Turner. Honorary pallbearers will be Preston Haggermaker and Coy Thompson.
Robert Vassar
Robert Vassar passed away peacefully Jan. 15, 2007, in Denver, Colo.
“Rock,” as he was known to his many friends and loved ones, was 83 years old. Rock was born on July 12, 1923, in Capshaw, Ala., and lived his youth in and around Athens, Ala. Rock is survived by his devoted wife of 64 years, Martha Jane McLean Vassar, of Nashville, Tenn.; and his three cherished children, daughter Jane “Candye” Slay, of Cary, N.C.; daughter Lisa Pearson, Westcliffe, Colo.; and son Robert “Trey” Vassar, Centennial, Colo. Rock will be especially missed by his grandchildren, Sam Slay, Jennifer and Kelly Pearson, Matthew, Ashley and Nick Vassar, and his great-grandson Harrison Slay.
Rock was a World War II Marine veteran, serving in the Pacific Theater from 1943-1945. Upon his discharge, he began a successful career with the Gulf Oil Corporation in 1945. Rock rose all the way from pumping gas and checking oil to being a senior marketing executive by the time he retired in 1981. One of his many distinguished career positions was as Chairman of the Petroleum Council of Mississippi. Rock and his family lived throughout the South, working in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Virginia. After leaving Gulf Oil, Rock retired in Aiken, S.C., and spent his retirement years being active in the Lions Club and serving on the Governor’s Council on Life Long Learning. Rock passionately loved gardening, and his backyard in Aiken was one of the most beautiful spots on earth and was a gathering place for his family, friends and neighbors. Rock and Jane moved to Colorado in 1998 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Services will be at Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tenn., on Feb 3, 2007. Visitation is at 9 a.m., memorial service at 10 a.m., with burial immediately thereafter. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at www.michaeljfox.org, or at Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, N.Y., 10163.