Dwayne D. Shuler

Mr. Dwayne D. Shuler, 44, of Bay Minette, entered the arms of Jesus on Mon., March 14, 2016, at his residence.

A native of New Jersey, he relocated to Bay Minette, where he graduated from Baldwin County High School in 1989. He attended college at Bethune-Cookman University. He had a deep love for God and his family, and enjoyed watching movies and football.

Those who are left to cherish his life are his mother, Annissa Gray Shuler of Bay Minette; his father, Carnell D. Shuler of Hillside, N.J.; two brothers, Derek C. Shuler of Bay Minette and Eric E. (Kerline) Shuler of Brooklyn, N.Y.; two nieces; aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held Sat., March 26, 2016, at 11 a.m. from Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Larham with the Rev. J. Richardson, pastor, officiating. Inhumation will be in the Latham Community Cemetery with Turner Funeral Chapel LLC directing.

Joyce Prestwood Henderson

Mrs. Joyce Prestwood Henderson, 83, passed from this earthly life on Sat., March 19, 2016, in Jay, Fla.

She was a native of McCullough and a resident of Flomaton for most of her life. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Flomaton.

She was a wife, mother and grandmother; she was the kindest, most gentle and strongest person who loved her family, her friends and her Jesus. She was a blessing to her family and all who knew her. She managed the office for Henderson Ready Mix, but she was never one to shy away from hard work, batching and loading cement, gravel, sand and water into the concrete mixers. Even with running back and forth from the home office to the concrete plant, she felt her most important job was in the home. Her greatest accomplishments in life were being a wife to Allen for 65 years, raising her three children, Ann, Jimmy and Marie, as well as her daughter-in-law, Renita; and then watching and helping raise her seven grandchildren, James Francis, Layla, Christy, Amanda, Dorothy Zela, Allen and Beau, and nine great-grandchildren, Shayla, Leif, Crest, Ember Claire, Callum, Benjamin, Becca, Emory and Ian. Joyce could always be found in the kitchen of the Henderson home, crafting meals for her beloved family. She was eager to teach her children and grandchildren how to cook the perfect pot of lima beans, bake a prize-winning strawberry cake, and can insanely delicious fig preserves. Any family dinner was sure to feature her tender pot roast and always-in-demand Shrimp Creole.

She had a love for babies and was eager to hold any baby. She had a comforting way of loving on babies that would always soothe them, and she wanted to encourage all new mothers to trust their instincts. She was an advocate of breast feeding and encouraged other mothers to do so as well if they were able. She loved to sing and play the piano. She never took lessons, but over the years, she taught herself how to read music and play. She played a lot by ear and could hear almost any song and play it on the piano; she passed that love of playing on to her family.

Allen and Joyce both placed their first priority in life as a relationship with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and both shared that joy with all they met. Joyce was a member of First Baptist Church of Flomaton for more than 60 years; an active member of a community prayer chain for many years, Joyce was quick to cover family and friends with the power of prayer. She always said that when someone crosses your mind, it’s God’s prompt to pray for them, and that’s exactly what she did, regardless of the time of day. We cry because we miss our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, but we rejoice in knowing where she is today. She always told us that we shouldn’t worry about her when she left this world because she said, “I’m going home! I’m going to see my Mama and Daddy, and I haven’t seen them in over 75 years. I’ll see my family in Heaven, so don’t cry or worry about me because I’m going home. We take comfort in knowing that when she breathed her last breath on this earth, she was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus instantly, and that Allen, her beloved husband, was waiting right behind him to hug his sweetheart. They have been apart for six months now, which is the longest amount of time they had been apart since they married in 1950.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Allen Henderson Jr.; parents, George and Sallie Prestwood; three brothers, Terry, Leon and Alex Prestwood; seven sisters, Georgia Gibbs Cannon, Laurie Prestwood, Frances Prestwood, Carolyn Cave, Ethel Barnett, Ruby Wyse Olmstead and Dorothy Robinson Edmisten; and two great grandchildren.

Mrs. Henderson is survived by one son, James Allen (Renita) Henderson of Flomaton; two daughters, Ann Henderson Schmitz of Birmingham and Zela Marie Henderson of Pensacola, Fla.; seven grandchildren, Christina Ann, James Francis, Layla Ann, Amanda Joyce, Dorothy Zela, Allen and Beaureguard Prestwood; nine great-grandchildren; two sisters, Esther Leonard and Faye Dickey; and one sister in law, Willneilia Wiggins Henderson of Flomaton.

Funeral services will be held today, Wed., March 23, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Flomaton with the Rev. Earl Lee officiating. Burial will follow at Little Escambia Cemetery.

The family will receive friends today from 10 a.m. until service time at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Flomaton.

Pallbearers will be Allen Henderson, Beau Henderson, Francis Henderson, Jimmy Henderson, Buddy Roberson and Eric Waters.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes LLC is in charge of all arrangements.

Leslie Hardy

Leslie Hardy, 85, of Atmore, passed away on Wed., March 16, 2016, in Pensacola, Fla.

He was born on June 25, 1930, in Atmore, to the late Joseph Benjamin and Hattie Phillips Hardy. He was retired from Higdon and Hardy Heating and air conditioning. He enjoyed farming and gardening, was an avid cattleman, and dearly loved his family and his dog, Bo. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Atmore.

He was preceded in death by brothers, Louie Hardy and Lamar Hardy; and a sister, Lucille Zeringue.

Mr. Hardy is survived by his wife of 65 years, Florence Higdon Hardy of Atmore; two sons, Joe (Renee) Hardy and Billy (Vicki) Hardy, all of Atmore; two daughters, Bobbie (Steve) Mack of Cantonment, Fla. and Melanie (Shayne Johnson) Hardy of Dallas, Texas; one brother, Pete Hardy of Atmore; six sisters, Sarah (Hoyt) Coon, Betty (Gene) Singleton, Lois Hall, Nette Hardy, all of Atmore, Linda Garrick of Greensboro, N.C. and Tisha Phillips of Stockton; six grandchildren, Jill (Bo) Franklin, Kelly (Tony) Benauer, Ben (Jamie) Hardy, Emily (Clay) Branch, Robert (Lena) Hardy and Jessi (Joseph) McDonald; and four great-grandchildren, Brooks Branch, Caroline Branch, Livia Hardy and Gerard Benauer.

Services were held March 19, 2016, from the First Baptist Church of Atmore, with the Rev. Arnold Hendrix and Brother Chris Pruitt officiating. A private family graveside service followed in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Active pallbearers were Ben Hardy, Robert Hardy, Greg Hardy, Danny Hall, Steve Drew and Kelly Drew. Honorary Pallbearers were Bo Franklin, Clay Branch, Tony Benauer, and Joseph McDonald.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCFA)

733 Third Ave., Suite 510, New York, NY 10017, or the First Baptist Church Library Fund, 310 South Main Street, Atmore, AL 36502.

Johnson-Quimby funeral Home INC in charge of all arrangements.

Theris Cornell “Sonny” Brown

Mr. Theris Cornell “SONNY” Brown, 49, of Atmore, entered into eternal sleep on Sun., March 20, 2016, at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.

A native of Little River, he had been a resident of Atmore for many years. He was a graduate of Baldwin County High School. He worked as a first mate on a tugboat for many years. He enjoyed fishing and watching football, in which he was a fan of Cam Newton, Auburn Tigers and Carolina Panthers.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam Brown and Autherine Denson Brown.

Those left to cherish his life are two daughters, Shaquenta McMillan and Krista Choate, both of Atmore; two sisters, Essie (Curtis) Dees of Little River and Samantha (Robert) Stevens of Bay Minette; two brothers, Derek Brown of Little River and the Rev. Kevin (Janice) Brown of Atmore; and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Sat., March 26, 2016, at 1 p.m. from Mt. Triumph Baptist Church in Little River with the Rev. Kevin Brown, eulogist and the Rev. Robert Brown, host pastor, officiating. Inhumation will be in Tate Creek Cemetery in Little River with Turner Funeral Chapel LLC directing.