Johnnie Mae Holcombe

Funeral services will be Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel at Collier-Butler Funeral Home for Ms. Johnnie Mae “Dee Dee” Holcombe, 81, of Odenville, who passed away Monday, October 1, 2012. Rev. R. Philip Hundley Sr. will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ms. Holcombe was raised in Attalla. She suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 1949 prior to her graduation from Etowah High School. She lived with her mother until 1978, when her mother passed away. She then lived independently for 20 years with assistance from family and friends. She resided with her niece in Springville since 1998.

Ms. Holcombe was a member of Northside Baptist Church. She loved artwork, reading, her computer, gardening, cooking, her coffee, crossword puzzles, and her animals, especially her little dog Ginnie. She also enjoyed visiting with family and friends.

“Dee Dee” was her own healthcare advocate and worked hard to live a healthy lifestyle. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was strong willed, intelligent, and witty. She will be greatly missed.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Bertie Chastain and John L. Holcombe; older sister, Billie Jo Battles; and special friend, Vince Bagwell.

She is survived by her younger brother: Retired Sgt. Major Pete Hamby Holcombe, of Arizona; former sister-in-law, Helen Holcombe Fincher, of Hokes Bluff; nieces: JoAnne Battles Connolly, Nedra Holcombe Hundley, Carol “Kelly” Holcombe Lockhart, Robin Battles, great-nieces and nephews: Zach, Jessie, Maria, Priscilla, and Jacob Connolly; Philip and Nathan Hundley; Lindsey and Mitchell Buel; Roxanne and Stephanie Lockhart, special cousins: Linda Chastain, Jane Childers, and Loretta Bourne, along with other numerous relatives.

Pallbearers will be Ronald Lockhart, R. Philip Hundley Sr., Fred Chastain, Dean Johnson, Frank Chastain, and Phillip Free.

Honorary pallbearers will be Joe “Cowboy” Sharpe, Carroll Connolly, Steve Aultman, and Stanley Strickland.

Special thanks to the UAB Department of Gerontology- Dr. Duxbury and Lanette Sherrill, and to Midsouth Home Health- Wendy Skala and Steve Aultman.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to: Safe Haven Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 288, Springville, AL 35146.

Visitation will be Saturday, October 6, 2012, from 12:00-2:00 prior to the service.

Online condolences may be made at www.collier-butler.com.