Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on February 8, 1945 to Elbert and Selvis Nix, she moved to Mobile, Alabama shortly after graduating from Tuscaloosa County High School. Her love of the water drew her to the Mobile area, and she spent most of her free time in her younger years on the beaches of Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores. After attending a business college for a couple of years, she began working at the law firm of Hamilton, Butler et al, where she worked for the senior partners for over 15 years. From there, she went to work for the State of Alabama at the Foreign Trade Relations Commission for 17 years. After she retired from the State, she moved to Lucedale, Mississippi, to a house she owned on the Pascagoula River. It didn't take her long to realize that she wasn't done working.
In 1999, “Mrs. Gloria” (as most of Lucedale came to know her) opened Mississippi Wholesale Warehouse, which she eventually renamed Mississippi Furniture Warehouse. She knew nothing about owning her own business, and even less about furniture, but she quickly learned. The success of her business is greatly due to her outlook on life: treat people the way you would want to be treated. That mantra served her well in all aspects of her life, and 20 years later, her business is thriving and will carry on with her daughter (Stacy) and son-in-law (Jeff) at the helm.
Although she worked at least six days a week for countless years, Mrs. Gloria still found time to support and contribute to the Lucedale and Mobile communities in any way she could. She was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Mobile for a number of years, and later in her life she became a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Mobile.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Elbert C. Nix and Selvis Robinson Nix, her brother Charles Nix, and her husband, Michael Holcomb. She is survived by her daughter Stacy (Jeff Graham) Hammac, her step-daughter Leisa (Jack) Myles, her step-grandson Joseph (Amanda) Senne, her step-great-grandson Hayden, her niece Michelle Nix Anderson, her great-nephew River, her great-niece Carson, her ex-husband Otha “Sonny” Hammac, Jr., and countless cousins.
The family wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the caring, attentive, and knowledgeable doctors, nurses and staff at Mobile Infirmary 5 Northwest who helped us through a difficult time and made her final days peaceful and comfortable.
A visitation will be held at Radney Funeral Home on Dauphin Street in Mobile on Sunday, February 24, from 2:00-5:00 PM. A visitation will also be held at Grace Lutheran Church from 10:00-11:00 AM on Monday, February 25, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM. A graveside service will immediately follow at Pine Crest Cemetery.
