Mrs. Geneva Haynes Haynes King

CULLMAN — Funeral services for Geneva Mozel Haynes King, 86, of Cullman will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010, at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Pastor Warren Ruland officiating, with interment in Holly Pond Cemetery. She will lie-in-state at the church for one hour prior to the services.

Moss-Service Funeral Home of Cullman directing.

Geneva Mozel Haynes King, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and florist, passed from this earthly life into her heavenly kingdom Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010, at 10:35 p.m. Her wonderful loving disposition, her always positive attitude, and her ever-present radiant smile will remain in the hearts and minds of all with whom she has interacted and all those whom she has impacted in her 86 inspirational and influential years.

Born and raised in Holly Pond, Geneva’s positive attitude and constant smile defined her long life. After being faced with the tribulation of losing her hearing, her first and only reaction was to praise God that she retained her remaining senses. After surviving all but her youngest sibling, her husband and many dear friends, Geneva, or Gee-Gee as we knew her, praised God for all the people in her life. Even in her weakest moments, Gee-Gee retained hope that vibrant days of water aerobics, business management, travel, and “being prissy” were still ahead.

Gee-Gee left a legacy of memories and life adventures that will forever be remembered and honored by those she left behind. Paving the way for the women of today, she epitomized the strength and tenacity of the “Greatest Generation.” She left Holly Pond at the age of 18, in 1942, to travel to Albany, N.Y., to meet her in-laws. Her new husband, Private Harold Lee King had just been sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after its attack. She returned to Birmingham, Alabama soon after and trained to be a draftsperson for Tennessee Coal and Iron (TCI). She worked there throughout the war. When the men returned from war to reclaim their jobs Gee-Gee did not take it well. Her husband convinced her to stay at home and have children. Her first child Harold was born in 1947. She traveled for years with her husband and son until the birth of her daughter Annette in 1957. This came at a time of trouble in her family of origin in Holly Pond. They returned to Cullman County in 1960 to help with the family farm. Farm life was never a goal for Gee-Gee.

Shortly after the death of her father, Pearson Edward Haynes, she became an Avon salesperson and quickly moved into management. Being very career minded, when offered another sales position with Compton’s Encyclopedia, Gee-Gee took a sales job and began her work throughout north Alabama placing encyclopedias in approximately 80 percent of the homes she visited, again quickly advancing to management. A new opportunity presented itself when a neighbor placed a florist for sale in downtown Cullman. Thus began her most notable career as Cullman’s beloved flower lady.

In January 1969, she purchased Bright and Ward’s Florist and changed the name to Cullman Florist. She gained the love and respect of customers, employees and business owners throughout the state for her cheerful yet persuasive business skills. She won the Business and Professional Woman of the Year award in 1978, an award that she proudly held.

She was a founding member of the Cullman Chapter of Pilot Club International. She was also a proud member of Business and Professional Women, Floral Transworld Delivery (FTD), FloraFax, TeleFloral, Red Book, and many others. Her business accomplishments were numerous and proudly held.

She was an amazing grandmother to all six of her grandchildren and a wonderful aunt to her niece and nephews. These children were the light of her life as she helped care for them; regularly taking treats to their classrooms and picking them up from school until her health declined to the point that she stopped driving.

Her children, grandchildren, and nephew were later able to follow the tradition of caregiving as they joined together in times of need. They will carry these moments in their hearts forever.

Times shared with this sweet lady will be remembered fondly. Her power of positive thinking will inspire many to look for the best in every situation. As her body with riddled with ostieoschrosis and scoliosis, her gait so twisted and difficult, her hearing completely gone, she still took time to thank God for the blessings in her life everyday! If there is one lesson her life can teach, it is the power of positive thinking and positive living.

She is survived by her son, Harold (Glenda) King; and daughter, Annette (Terry) McHan; her six grandchildren: Harold (Wendy) King III, Taylor McHan, Joshua (Kelsey) King, Laura (Gavin) Doss, Matthew King and Sarah Grace McHan; her three great-grandchildren, Shelby King, Michael King and Robert Harold King; and beloved nephew, Jimmy (June) Haynes.

Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.