Nevelyn Blackwell Counts died Oct. 15, 2019, in Homewood, Ala., at age 94. During her long and full life, she was a mother, grandmother, sister, homemaker, wife, working woman, volunteer -- and so much more.
Mrs. Counts was a happiness aficionado and dance enthusiast who was a whiz at the Fox Trot, had perfected her “Chicken Dance” and – in her 80s -- was working on her “Shoulder Lean” with the help of her grandchildren.
Known for her sweet smile and boundless laughter, she discovered humor where most missed it and was the first to enjoy her own foibles – whether it was her fondness of burnt toast or her penchant for bobby socks and headscarves long after their fashion value expired.
She loved hot coffee, music, desserts, old movies, energetic walks, traveling, reading, watching sunrises on the beach and eating out. She was a meticulous budgeter and bookkeeper. But most of all, she injected fun into everything, from festooning an everyday bologna and cheese lunch with colorful, ribboned party toothpicks to launching a conga line of the Bunny Hop at Easter. Her giggle was contagious and healing.
She also exhibited a contentment uncommon in today’s world and demonstrated an endless capacity for blanketing those around her -- particularly her grandchildren -- with unqualified love and lots of “sugars.”
Mrs. Counts was born March 1, 1925, at the Woodlawn Infirmary in Birmingham, Ala., to Alline Higgins Blackwell and Eber Roy Blackwell and was the eldest of five children. She graduated from Minor High School, where she was salutatorian, and worked as a secretary at Young & Vann Supply Company in Birmingham during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In 1951, she married Herbert Clay Counts (following a courtship highlighted by dancing to the big band sounds of the day) and moved to Columbus, Ga., where they enjoyed a 42-year marriage. During her 64 years in Columbus, she cared for her three daughters and worked for 18 years at W.C. Bradley Memorial Library, retiring in 1991. She returned to Alabama in 2015, spending her final years in Jasper, Ala.
Mrs. Counts believed strongly in the value of education and was a member and officer in local PTA organizations. Her Christian faith was important to her, and she was an active member of the United Methodist Church, attending Crumly Chapel UMC in Alabama, and – in Columbus – joining Wynnton UMC and then Sherwood UMC, which later became part of Living Grace United Methodist Church. At Sherwood, she was church librarian and historian, a member of the United Methodist Women and a volunteer at local nursing homes and the Valley Rescue Mission. While in Jasper, she attended and developed a strong love for River of Living Water United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Counts died at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Homewood.
Preceding her in death were her parents and her husband; her brother, Eber Roy Blackwell Jr.; her sister, Celia Blackwell Mackinaw, and her granddaughter, Rachel Louise Gast.
She is survived by a brother, Don Blackwell (Meredith); a sister, Jan Douglas; daughters, Anne Thornton (Jim), Nancy Corser (Hans) and Susan Gast (Phil); grandchildren, Allyson Dowell (Jeff), Ashley Thornton, Lesley Poirier (Ryan), Jennifer Corser-McNeely (Taylor), Andrew Gast (Whitney), Natalie Corser and Dennis Gast (Ele); great-grandchildren, Jared Dowell, Justin Dowell, Alexia Folds, Brycyn Folds, Dylan Poirier, Grace Poirier and Salem McNeely, and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary in Columbus, Ga., on Tuesday, Oct. 22, beginning at noon. The Rev. Susan Beverly of Living Grace United Methodist Church will officiate. A graveside service, led by the Rev. Richard Stryker of River of Living Water United Methodist Church in Jasper, will follow at 2 p.m. at Parkhill Cemetery.
A separate celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. at River of Living Water United Methodist Church in Jasper. The Rev. Stryker will officiate.
Striffler-Hamby Mortuary in Columbus is handling arrangements. For more information or to leave an online condolence to the family, please visit the Striffler-Hamby website. Those desiring may send flowers to the services or make memorial gifts to Living Grace United Methodist Church, 3969 Edgewood Circle, Columbus, GA 31907; or River of Living Water United Methodist Church, 1401 Jones Dairy Road, Jasper, AL 35502.
