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Lester A. Funderburk
TITUS - Mr. Lester A. Funderburk, age 81, a resident of Titus, Ala., passed away Wednesday, April 21, 2004 in a Montgomery hospital. Funeral services were held Sunday, April 25th at 3 p.m. at Gassett Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Winston Brooks and Rev. Gary Aldridge officiated. Interment followed in Greenwood Cemetery
in Montgomery. Gassett Funeral Home of Wetumpka directed.
Mr. Funderburk was preceded in death by his first wife, Imogene Warren Funderburk.
He is survived by his second wife, Betty Jean Jones Funderburk of Titus; two sons, Lester A. Funderburk II and wife Gail of Millbrook, and Lee Elm and wife Christine of Alpharetta, Ga.; one brother, Wendell Funderburk of Montgomery; two sisters, Geneva Barber of Waycross, Ga., and Mildred Merchant and husband Raymond of Tupelo, Miss.; one sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law, Mary and James Bowles of Montgomery, and Guyree Webster of Tallassee; four grandchildren, Shan Schoenrock, Tracy Lynn Schoenrock, Christopher Elm, and Thomas Elm; and four great-grandchildren, Shannon Schoenrock, Cory Hillman, Lexie Ann Schoenrock and William Schoenrock.
Active pallbearers were Andy Adams, Ray Pepper, Danny Sims, Danny Casebere, Robert Trammell, and Steve Wilson.
Mr. Funderburk was a 50-year member and past Master of the Prattville Masonic Lodge No. 89. He was a member of Thorington Baptist Church of Montgomery, and also attended Living Waters Baptist Church in Titus. Honorary pallbearers were the deacons of those two churches.
Betty J. Funderburk
Mrs. Betty J. Funderburk, age 76, a resident of Titus, passed away Friday, July 30, 2010, in Montgomery.
Funeral service was Sunday, August 1, at 3 p.m. from Jeffcoat Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. David Prestridge and Rev. Winston Brooks officiating. Burial followed in Rose Hill Cemetery, Jeffcoat Funeral Home directing.
Surviving relatives include her son, Lee Elm (Christine); grandchildren, Christopher Elm (Christie) and Thomas L. Elm; step- son, Lester Funderburk II (Gail); sister, Mary Bowles (James) and nephew, LaVaughn Webster.
Mrs. Funderburk is preceded in death by her husband, Lester Funderburk; parents, Curtis and Mary F. Jones; sister, Annie Mae Webster and brothers, Earl Jones, Lamar Jones and Jack Jones.
Visitation was Sunday, August 1, 2010, from 2 p.m. until service time at Jeffcoat Funeral Home.
Mrs. Funderburk was a member of Thorington Road Baptist Church in Montgomery and attended Living Water Baptist Church in Titus. She was a registered nurse and practiced nursing for over 40 years.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Harmon Ray Grier
WETUMPKA — Mr. Harmon Ray “Pappy” Grier Sr., 81, died Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, at his residence in Wetumpka after an extended illness.
He was a retired senior master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and Electrical Engineer with Jenkins Brick Company.
Funeral services were scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 30 at New Home Missionary Baptist Church with visitation one hour prior to services at the church. The Rev. Rory McQueen officiated. Burial followed in New Home Cemetery
with Gassett Funeral Home directing. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Frances Grier; sons, Harmon Ray (Nancy) Grier Jr., and Frank O’Neal (Tricia) Grier; brother, Robert Wayne Grier; grandchildren, Neal Grier and Nicole Grier, and a great grandson, Nick Grier.
Flowers are accepted or make donations to your favorite charity.
James Michael Castleberry
MONTGOMERY — Dr. James Michael (Mickey) Castleberry, 68, a Child of The King, went home to be with Him, on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011.
Brother Mickey, as he was affectionately known, was born Oct. 26, 1943, to Frances Inez Mason Castleberry and Richard Steven Castleberry in Montgomery.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, John Charles Mason and Josie Mason; and by his paternal grandparents, John Castleberry and Ada Castleberry; by his parents, Richard and Inez Castleberry; and by twin grandchildren, Jon Britt Castleberry and Brenley Elizabeth Castleberry.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Joette Castleberry.
His family includes two sons and their wives, James Brian (Amy) and Jon Bart (Heather), his “Other Mom” Aunt Ruth Hall of Wetumpka.
His grandchildren include Kaitlyn Castleberry, Allison Castleberry Riley Castleberry, and Rhett Castleberry.
He is also survived by his brother, Richard Castleberry (Sharon) of Pike Road, his mother-in-law, Ruth Bush of Montgomery, two brothers-in-law and their wives, Randy Bush (Debbie), Joel Bush (Charlotte), and several nieces and nephews.
Brother Mickey answered the call to ministry early in life. He grew up in the Highland Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, where he was licensed and ordained as a Minister of the Gospel. He began preaching at the age of 15 and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1961.
At the age of 17, he accepted his first Pastorate — Brewer Memorial Baptist Church in Cecil, a position he held for eight years.
He attended Howard College, and when the name was changed, he graduated in the first Samford University class with a bachelor’s of arts degree.
Following graduation, Brother Mickey enrolled in the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, graduating in 1969 with a master of theology degree.
In 1978 he received his doctor of ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary.
He was called to serve as pastor of the Pike Road Baptist Church and during those years, he met and married his wife Joette.
In 1972, Brother Mickey became one of the youngest pastors ever to serve the First Baptist Church of Wetumpka.
Almost nine years later, he moved his young family to Birmingham to assume the Pastorate of the 3,600 member Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Center Point, a position he would hold for the next eight years.
During those years, he served as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Radio and Television Commission in Fort Worth, Texas, and in 1991 he was elected chairman of the board of trustees. He served in this office for two years.
He would serve nine more years as pastor of the Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Montgomery before retiring to enter a new ministry.
He founded and served 10 years as president of “Mickey’s Ministries,” a non profit organization, preaching and helping the downtrodden and those in need. During those 10 years with “Mickey’s Ministries,” he served 11 Southern Baptist Churches as interim pastor.
His calling brought him full circle, when in 2006 he became pastor of the small Bradleyton Baptist Church, near Highland Home — a position he has held for five years.
During more than 50 years of pastoral ministry, Brother Mickey preached revivals, partnerships and crusades throughout the U.S. and 13 foreign countries.
He served in the 1960s as president of the Montgomery Baptist Pastors Conference. In 1972, he was elected vice president of the Alabama Baptist State Pastor’s Conference. He served as a member of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. He also served a two-year term as moderator of the Elmore Baptist Association, and while living in Wetumpka, he served as president of the Elmore County Exchange Club.
In 2000 Mickey was inducted into the Robert E. Lee High School Hall of Fame, an honor he cherished.
Brother Mickey loved life, but he believed firmly that, “this world is not our home, we’re just passing through.” In the firm belief that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father except through Him.”
A Service of Worship to honor Brother Mickey and his Savior will be led by his dear friends in ministry, the Rev. David Lowery, Dr. Burney Enzor, Dr. Kline Johnson, the Rev. Larry Armstrong and the Rev. Johnny Kilgore, accompanist.
Soloists will be Mrs. Pat Kilgore and Mrs. Linda Westbrook.
Visitation will be held 5-8 p.m. Nov. 11 from the sanctuary of Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Montgomery.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 12 at Eastern Hills Baptist Church. His body will be laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery, there to await the resurrection.
Serving as pallbearers will be Mr. Bob Ritter, Mr. Sid Adams, Mr. Bill Murray, Mr. James Berry, Mr. Greg Wren, Mr. Lamar Glover, Mr. Jerry Ellison and Mr. Harvey Willis.
Honorary pallbearers will be Mr. Chad Jefcoat, Mr. Bob Emerson, Mr. Bob Humphries and the members of Bradleyton Baptist Church.
Brother Mickey will lie in state one hour prior to service time at Eastern Hills Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, it was Brother Mickey’s request that memorial contributions be made to Bradleyton Baptist Church, 595 Browder Rd. Highland Home, AL 36041; to Eastern Hills Baptist Church, 3604 Pleasant Ridge Rd. Montgomery, AL 36109 or to one’s favorite church or charity.
