Leona was born June 20, 1920 in Hemingway, South Carolina and passed on to heaven on August 15, 2019. She was the fourth child of seven children of John and Dena Pope. She said they did not know about the Great Depression, because they never had much to begin with. At Hemingway High School, she played on the Women’s Basketball team and was the Senior Beauty. She worked hard to save and attended business school in Bennettsville, South Carolina. After graduation, she went to work for the US Army at Shaw Field in Sumpter, South Carolina. There she met a flight instructor, Lieutenant George A. Holman. They were married on December 7, 1945. After George was discharged, they moved to Montgomery, Alabama. There they had two children, Bob and Toni. They moved to Birmingham in 1962 and quickly became established in what is now known as Hoover, Alabama. She was active in her church – Covenant Presbyterian, the Friends of the Hoover Library and The Hoover Service Club. Leona is predeceased by her parents, all but one of her siblings, Frances Belcher of Bennettsville, South Carolina, her loving husband (2001), her daughter, Toni Keyes (2011) and great-grandson Huck Barham (2017) . She is survived by her son, Bob Holman (Bobbie), grandson, R. Brent Holman (Jennifer), granddaughter Heather K. O’Neal (Eric), granddaughter Briana H. Barham (Peck) and John T. Keyes (Colleen). She has 9 greatgrandchildren – Lucas O’Neal, Adeline Holman, Carrington Barham, Nora Holman, Lucy Keyes, Gavin O’Neal, Emerson Barham, Annie Keyes, and Wilde Barham.
The celebration of her life will be held at Southern Heritage Funeral Home on Highway 119 in Pelham, Alabama Sunday August 18, 2019. Visitation at 12:30 followed by services at 1:30.
Rather than flowers, please send contributions to the Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation, PO Box 26791, Birmingham, AL 35260 or at Thinkoflaura.org.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18