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Gray Funeral Home Gray Funeral Home is a privately owned funeral home operated by Bob Gray and Joellen Gray Pritchard.

Maudie Jean Watts, 93, passed away peacefully Saturday, October 10, leaving behind a family who loved her dearly and a l...
10/12/2026

Maudie Jean Watts, 93, passed away peacefully Saturday, October 10, leaving behind a family who loved her dearly and a legacy of faith, kindness, hard work, and treasured memories. Though she will be missed, her family finds comfort in knowing that she is at home with her Lord and reunited with the love of her life.

Jean was a devoted Christian whose faith was reflected in the way she lived. She had a caring heart and was always willing to visit the sick, offer a kind word, or brighten someone’s day with her warm smile. No matter the circumstances, she had a way of making others feel loved and welcomed. She was hardworking, joyful, and a little silly, and her laughter was a gift to everyone fortunate enough to know her.

Jean found great joy in tending her garden, preparing meals for the people she loved, and spending time with her family.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, William A. “Buddy” Watts; her sister, Elva Hinson; and her brother, Douglas May.

She is survived by her three sons: Herman Watts (Emily), Roger Watts (Mary), and Larry Watts. She also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Joey Watts, Chad Watts, Todd Watts, Brooke Dennis, Tyler Watts, Ashley Strickland, Will Watts, and May Parker; fourteen great-grandchildren; and her surviving siblings, sister Mary Nell Driggers and brothers Thomas May and James “Wolf” May.

Jean will be remembered for her unwavering faith, generous heart, hard-working hands, infectious smile, and the laughter she brought to every gathering. She lived a life of love and service, and the memories she created will continue to bring comfort and joy to the family she cherished so dearly.

She will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. from Gray Funeral Home Chapel with Minister Jeff May officiating. Burial will follow in Perpetual Care Cemetery with Gray Funeral Home directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 12:00 p.m. until service time on Thursday.

10/09/2026

Keith Rawls, 75, passed away peacefully in his sleep after a lengthy hospitalization on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Gray Funeral Home Chapel. The family will visit with friends from 10:00 a.m. until service time.
Early in life, Keith had a very successful career as a manager to several rock bands. He traveled extensively and eventually returned to Alabama. He moved to Fitzpatrick, became a barber, and raised cattle and Dobermans. He loved his animal and land dearly.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Ouida Rawls.
He is survived by his sisters, Kathy Rawls D***s (Mike), Karen Rawls and brother, Kyle Rawls (Tonya).

Mary Nell Reynolds Hasson, 96, a resident of Scotland community, passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Funeral service...
10/08/2026

Mary Nell Reynolds Hasson, 96, a resident of Scotland community, passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 12, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Indian Creek Baptist Church with Rev. J. C. Turner officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Gray Funeral Home directing.
The family will receive friends at the church from 10:00 a.m. until service time on Monday.
Mary Nell was a lifelong member of Indian Creek Baptist Church. She retired from the Welsh Company as a sewing supervisor. Mary Nell loved fishing and gardening and especially sharing the bounty of her garden with her family. Mary Nell loved to cook and was known for her dressing and lacy cornbread.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John Hasson, Jr. She is survived by four children and their spouses: Van and Jane Hasson, Mike and Debbie Hasson, Cathy and Jamie Padgett, and Paul and Gwen Hasson; 12 grandchildren: Stephen Lucas, Vanessa Thompson, John Hasson, Eric Hasson, Scott Hasson, Holly Adams, John Paul Sanders, Samantha Martin, Dory Hasson, Burt Hasson, Samantha Smith, and Peyton Hutto; 21 great-grandchildren, seven great-great-grandchildren; a host of nieces and nephews and caregiver Karen Hilton.
Pallbearers will be Eric Hasson, Scott Hasson, Will Hasson, John Paul Sanders, Brandon Adams, and Greg Renfroe.

09/24/2026

Margaret Adams passed away on Wednesday, September 23. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm at Perpetual Care Cemetery with Rev. Bill Cannon officiating. The family will receive friends at Gray Funeral Home at 2:00 pm on Sunday and go in a procession to the cemetery at 3:00.
A complete obituary will follow.

09/22/2026

Chubby Lee Ward, 62, passed away on Monday, September 21, 2026. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Eastside Baptist Church with Rev. Gene Bridgeman officiating. Burial will follow in Perpetual Care Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Friday, September 25, 2026 from 5:00 until 7:00 pm at Gray Funeral Home.
A full obituary will follow.

Mary Alice Bryan, born February 3, 1934, passed away while in hospice on March 26, 2026, at the age of 92, after three l...
09/15/2026

Mary Alice Bryan, born February 3, 1934, passed away while in hospice on March 26, 2026, at the age of 92, after three long years of various health issues and hospitalizations. She was the only child of Mr. E. Clyde Bryan and Mary Olive Bradberry Bryan, the owners of Bradberry Grocery Store in Union Springs. Mary was born in Union Springs, as were three of her four sons. Her son Chris currently lives in Union Springs.
She attended school from kindergarten through 12th grade in Union Springs and later attended Troy University, Judson College, and Auburn University in Alabama. Mary was a devoted Christian who sought to pass her faith on to her children and grandchildren. She devoted her life to being a good mother and stressed the importance of being present in the lives of her children and grandchildren while they were young. Mary’s most prized possessions were all related to family.
Mary was predeceased by her husband, Johnny Mac Brown; her Aunt Nell Campbell and husband Hugh; her Aunt Willa Mae B. Besecker and husband Pete; Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Cary Bryan; William Foy Bryan; Robert Bryan; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Beasley; Mr. and Mrs. Homer and Mary Mason; Arby Bradberry and his wife, Alice Browder Bradberry Hickman; Mr. Hickman; and Olivia Eugene Coston Browder.
Mary wanted to thank everyone—past and present—who made Union Springs a great place to grow up. A special thanks goes to Dr. Emfinger, without whom she would not have survived her many bouts of asthma as a child and throughout her life.
Mary is survived by her sons and their wives: David and Tonya, Michael and Ellen, Jeff and Jody, and Chris and Kerri.
Additional family members include Mr. and Mrs. Mary Sue Besecker Carlisle, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Snead, Mr. and Mrs. Lisa and Doyle Long, and Mr. and Mrs. Amen. Grandchildren: Katherine, Jessica, Elizabeth, Riley, Willa, and Carolina.
Mary also had two great-grandchildren.
Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 19 at 11:30 a.m. CT / 12:30 p.m. ET at Gray Funeral Home, located at 110 MLK Blvd N., Union Springs, AL 36089, phone: 334-738-2630. For questions, please contact David Brown at 786-236-4598.

Andrew Jackson (Bill) Smithart III, also known to many as Smitty, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2026, surroun...
09/13/2026

Andrew Jackson (Bill) Smithart III, also known to many as Smitty, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2026, surrounded by his family after an extended illness. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at Christ Episcopal Church, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Reverend Paul Pradat presiding. The family will receive friends in the sanctuary, one hour prior to the service. A Graveside service will be held at Inverness Cemetery, Union Springs, Alabama at 4:30 with Stephen Stroud presiding.

Smitty was proceeded in death by his mother Gay Holloway Lane, and her husband, Thomas E. Lane, Sr., his father, Andrew Jackson Smithart, Jr, and his step-brother Thomas E. Lane, Jr. He is survived by his children, Andrew Jackson Smithart, IV, Harrison Lane Smithart and Grace Ellen Smithart (fiancé Whitton Thomas Winfield); his brothers Bruce Smithart (Sherry), Brad Smithart (Cynthia), and Burt Smithart (Elizabeth), step-brother, Mike Lane (Laura), step-sisters Dawn Lane, Diane Lane Farley, and Susan Lane Martinez (Rudy) and numerous nieces and nephews: Holly Smithart, Jon Smithart (Georgialee), Wesley Nolen (Justin), Leigh Ann Rangel, Angie Brabham (Josh) and Chrislyn Smithart. He is also survived by those children he claimed as his own, John Allen Fulmer II, Vivian Sui, Mary Frances S. Way, Caroline Wesley Way, and Joanna Leigh Hutt.

Pallbearers are Justin Nolen, Jon Smithart, John Allen Fulmer, Eli J. Hare, Nicholas S. Hare III, Mario Casillas, Sam Schaefer, Alexander S. Way, Thaddeus W. Way, and Zane T. Winfield. Honorary Pallbearers are Lori Brannon, Melissa Oswalt, Jonathon Cole Lucas, Payne Brannon, Ward Pearson, John T. Sutton, John Townsend, Wally Price, and Jack S. Way

Known for his legal mind and sharp wit, Smitty was a faithful friend to many. He was generous to a fault and loved his family deeply. Having received both this undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of Alabama, he was a passionate Crimson Tide fan; it did not matter the sport.

The family wishes to thank Smitty’s caregivers, Audrey Harris, Angel Sherrod and Chris Fritz for their friendship to him and excellent care he received from them.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in his memory to Hospice of West Alabama, 3851 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa, AL 36404 or Inverness Cemetery, c/o Betty Cramer, 223 Co Rd 11, Union Springs, Alabama 36089

Ruth Elizabeth ReederMy mother, Ruth Elizabeth Reeder, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2026, in Mobile, Alabama. ...
09/06/2026

Ruth Elizabeth Reeder

My mother, Ruth Elizabeth Reeder, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2026, in Mobile, Alabama. She was 93 years old.

Mom was born on December 11, 1932, and spent much of her life in the Union Springs community. When I think about my mother and the life she lived, one of the things that stands out most is how naturally she cared for people. Caring for others wasn’t simply something she did—it was part of who she was.

Mom became a registered nurse and devoted many years to serving the people of Union Springs and Bullock County. She worked as a nurse at Bullock County Hospital and also worked in the offices of two well-known and respected Union Springs physicians, Dr. H. S. Banton Jr. and Dr. Orizaba Enfinger. She later continued her nursing career with the Department of Public Health in Union Springs, where she cared for and helped generations of people in the community.

I am proud that my mother spent so much of her life doing something she was so passionate about—taking care of people. Her nursing career brought her into contact with so many people, and I believe many of them remember her kindness, compassion, and willingness to help.

Her faith was also an important part of her life. Mom was a member of First Baptist Church in Union Springs, where she was involved in her Sunday School class and Women on a Mission (WOM). Her church family meant the world to her, and the friendships she made there were a special part of her life.

Mom was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Robert Reeder; her parents, Renna Allbrooks Sisson and William “Billy” Sisson; and her brothers, Hubert D. Sisson, Robert L. Sisson, Wilbur D. Sisson, and Charles H. Sisson.

She is survived by her daughter, Robin Reeder Street; Granddaughter, Shellie Street Taylor, and her husband, Dr. Davis Taylor. She is also survived by her beloved great-grandchildren, Robert Gates Taylor, Edward “Teddy” Bascom Taylor, and Charlotte Ruth Taylor of Huntsville, Alabama, along with extended family and many friends who loved her.

As her daughter, I will always think of Mom as so much more than her career or the things she accomplished. She was my mother. She was the person who was there through the years, through the good times and the difficult ones. She was a grandmother who loved her grandchildren, a friend to many, and a woman who spent her life caring for others.

Her life was long, full, and filled with people she loved. She leaves behind memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I know her grandchildren will carry those memories with them as well.

I will miss my mother more than words can say. But I am grateful for the 93 years I was blessed to have her as my mother, and I am thankful for the love, lessons, and memories she gave our family.

She will be deeply missed, but she will never be forgotten.

Pallbearers will be Shellie Street Taylor, Dr. Davis Taylor, Jonathan Meinsler, Christopher Meinsler, and Tom Parks. Honorary pallbearer will be Bobbie Hartwig.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, September 8, at 2:00 p.m. at Gray Funeral Home, 110 Martin Luther King Blvd. N., Union Springs, Alabama, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Burial will follow at Union Springs Perpetual Care Cemetery, Highway 82, Union Springs, Alabama.

Leigh Stone Combest, 68, of Daphne, Alabama, and a lifelong daughter of Union Springs, died August 15, 2026, surrounded ...
08/16/2026

Leigh Stone Combest, 68, of Daphne, Alabama, and a lifelong daughter of Union Springs, died August 15, 2026, surrounded by those who loved her.

Leigh was born March 19, 1958, in Union Springs, Alabama, the daughter of Queenelle and Richard Stone. Though she spent her later years in Daphne, Union Springs was home for most of her life and remained an important part of who she was.

She devoted her professional life to education, teaching mostly in the elementary grades and developing a particular love for teaching English. Generations of former students knew her as a good teacher and, when the occasion required it, a tough one. She expected much from her students because she believed they were capable of much.

Leigh was happiest close to home. She loved her family, her close friends, her dogs, her garden, and the familiar rhythms and traditions that made a family feel like a family. She had a wonderful sense of humor and found great pleasure in making things special for the people she loved.

Holidays rarely passed without a large box of craft supplies appearing for her grandchildren, ready for whatever project they might dream up together. She loved to garden, filling her gardens with zinnias and other flowers, and some of her children’s fondest memories are of being with her in the flower beds when they were young. She did not need a great deal of fuss or activity to be content; time at home with family, dogs, flowers, and a project underway suited her just fine.

Some of Leigh’s happiest memories began in childhood at Lake Martin. The friendships she formed there and during her school years lasted throughout her life, and she spoke often and fondly of those friends, the adventures they shared, and the years they spent together. She remained deeply devoted to her family as well, carrying throughout her life a great love for her mother and an abiding admiration for her father.

Few relationships were more important to Leigh than the one she shared with her sister, Ginger Main. Leigh relied on Ginger throughout her life, and Ginger was unfailingly there for her—steadfast, loyal, and loving through every season. Their bond was one of the great constants of Leigh’s life.

Leigh was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Rick Stone. She is survived by her beloved sister, Ginger Main; her sons, Chandler Combest and his partner, Ben, and Crook Combest and his husband, Austin; and her grandchildren, Henry and Virginia Combest, who brought her particular joy.

She was married for more than 30 years to Gene Combest, the father of her children. They remained friends, and Gene was there with her at the end.

Leigh’s faith was a quiet and enduring part of her life. She will be remembered in the ways she made a life with the people she loved: expecting the best from her students, preserving the traditions that mattered to her family, putting something for the grandchildren to make into their hands, tending her flowers, laughing often, and making those closest to her feel cared for.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Amp Up Arts (ampuparts.org), supporting opportunities for children to learn, create, and grow - things that brought Leigh great joy throughout her life.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Union Springs, Alabama

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110 Martin Luther King Boulevard N
Union Springs, AL
36089

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Monday 8:30am - 1pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 1pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 1pm
Friday 8:30am - 1pm

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