Paul Eugene Hargrove

The funeral service for Paul Eugene Hargrove of Decatur will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Decatur at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 12, 2012, with burial immediately following in Decatur City Cemetery. The Reverend Doctor Cooper Rudell Guess Jr. and the Reverend Sandra Locke-Godbey will officiate. The family will receive friends at Roselawn Funeral Home this evening from 5 until 7 p.m.

Mr. Hargrove, who dedicated his life to his family, his church, his profession and his community, died on July 10, 2012, in Huntsville at the age of 82.

Born in Decatur on October 11, 1929, he was the son of Elymus Eugene "Red" and Willie Maude Hargrove. Mr. Hargrove attended Decatur High School, graduating in 1947, and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1951. Upon his college graduation, he served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged in November 1953.

Mr. Hargrove began his career with the General Electric Company and the Chrysler Corporation in Schenectady, New York. Upon returning to Decatur, he commenced his banking career of more than thirty years. He graduated from the National Trust School at Northwestern University in 1965. Mr. Hargrove was Vice President and Trust Officer with Compass Bank (formerly State National Bank and Central Bank) from 1964 until 1984 and with AmSouth Bank from 1984 until his retirement in 1995.

Mr. Hargrove was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Decatur and served on various church committees and organizations. He served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees and as a member of the Finance Committee, and he volunteered weekly in the church office.

He was also active in the Decatur community. Mr. Hargrove served as a Trustee of the Decatur General Foundation and as Chairman of its Planned Giving Committee. In later years, he was a volunteer for Decatur General Hospital. For more than ten years, he was Chairman of the Board of the Melvin and Virginia Hutson Foundation. He was a proud member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, which named him as a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Hargrove served as Treasurer of the Decatur Concert Association and was a member of Decatur Country Club. He was also a talented artist who donated works of art for charitable purposes over the years.

Mr. Hargrove is survived by his wife of fifty-two years, Carolyn Dillon Hargrove. He is also survived by his three children, Catherine H. Rary and her husband, Bill, of Roswell, Georgia; William D. Hargrove of San Antonio, Texas; and David E. Hargrove and his wife, Lorrie, of Vestavia Hills; and by his eight grandchildren, Lucas Rary and Christian Rary of Roswell, Georgia; Gabrielle Hargrove, Dillon Hargrove and Brooke Hargrove of San Antonio, Texas; and Paul Michael Hargrove, Lleyton Hargrove and Elizabeth Hargrove of Vestavia Hills. The family is thankful for the love and support given to them during this time.

Pallbearers will be Hunter Burt, Ashton Dement, Jeff Earley, Mark Maloney, Jolly McKenzie and John Underwood.

Honorary pallbearers will be Alan Burt, Stanley Burt, William Vandiver, the directors of the Melvin and Virginia Hutson Foundation, members of the Harris Lend-a-Hand Sunday school class and members of the Rotary Club of Decatur.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be given to the First United Methodist Church, 805 Canal Street, NE, Decatur, Alabama 35601; or the Decatur General Foundation, P. O. Box 2239, Decatur, Alabama 35609.