Charlene Helen Sargent Cleveland of Alpine, Alabama passed away on October 13, 2026 at the age of 81. Born in Haverhill, New Hampshire, she was raised on a farm near Camp Hill, Alabama and graduated from Camp Hill High School in 1963. She graduated from the Sylacauga School of Nursing in 1967. In 1995 while working full-time, she completed a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Jacksonville State University.
Charlene married Alfred Cleveland in 1966 at Sandy Creek Baptist Church in Camp Hill. They were married for 60 years and had two daughters, Laura and Mary Ann.
She worked at the former Sylacauga Hospital early in her career. She then transitioned to state service working for the Talladega County Health Department, Child Development, and the Alabama Department of Rehab Services SAIL program as a Nurse Case Manager. She retired in 2008 with 32 years of service with the State of Alabama.
Charlene was an active member of Tallasahatchie First Baptist Church, serving as president of the Women’s Missionary Union and working many summers with Vacation Bible School and other church-related activities. She was active with the Parish Nurse Program and in 2015 helped add the church and cemetery to the State Historic Register.
She enjoyed traveling and visited most of the 50 states and many foreign countries including Canada, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Israel, Egypt, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Iceland.
She is survived by her husband Alfred Cleveland; daughter Laura (Jack) Edwards of Raleigh, North Carolina; daughter Mary Ann (Jeremy) Livingston of Sylacauga, Alabama; grandchildren Anna (Jackson) Hanks of Marietta, Georgia; Rachel Livingston (fiancée Hutch Nicholas) of Auburn, Alabama; Bethany Edwards (fiancée Skylur Blombergh) of Tallahassee, Florida; and Benjamin Edwards of Washington, DC.
Many thanks are extended to SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice for their compassionate care of Charlene and the family.
Visitation will be at Tallasahatchie First Baptist Church in Alpine, Alabama on Friday October 16th, 2026 at 1:00PM with the funeral service to follow at 2:00PM. Burial will be at Tallasahatchie Cemetery. Curtis and Son Funeral Home will handle the arrangements.
