Wretha C. Avery

Wretha Carolyn Crawford Avery went home to be with our Lord and Savior on September 26,2023 after an extended illness. She was 79. Wretha was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 26, 1943, graduated from Holt High School in 1961, and moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 2002.Visitation will be held at Memory Chapel Funeral Home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 5, 2023 from 10 AM to 11 AM with the Celebration of Life immediately following. Wretha will be interred in Memory Hill Gardens following the ceremony. Linda Genery will be officiating.Wretha is survived by her daughter Aleta Avery Stender (Billy) and her grandchildren, Dana Elise Stender Bell (Jordan), Kasey Elisabeth Stender (Hunter Whann), Erin Susanne Stender, and Lucas Avery McClure, all of Huntsville, AL; her sisters, Sheila G. Martin of Northport, AL and Dewanda J. Beck of Coker, AL; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. She is preceded in death by her husband, John Daniel Avery; daughter, Anna Christi Avery

(Mark McClure), formerly of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; her parents, Murphy Benjamin Crawford and Lela Marchant Crawford of Tuscaloosa; and siblings, William Murphy Crawford, Benny Crawford, Joseph R. Crawford, James G. Crawford, Dorothy Dean Crawford and Ruby Mae Herring. Wretha was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. An accomplished woman with a sharp intellect, she worked for twenty-five years as an administrative assistant at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tuscaloosa until her retirement in 1997. After retirement, she worked for Hollyhand Construction. On December 31, 1963, John and Wretha were married in a snowstorm and enjoyed fifty-five happy years together. Though both loyal natives of Tuscaloosa and lovers of the Crimson Tide, they made the move to Huntsville to be closer to their children and grandchildren. The family frequented their home, keeping it full of laughter, familial debates, and love. They spent countless hours with “Grammy” and “Pa,” watching Braves baseball, gardening, talking, sewing, making good food and enjoying each other’s company. A devout Christian with a generous servant’s heart, Wretha used her talent and skill as a seamstress sewing hundreds of children’s dresses for the Little Dresses for Africa organization. Each Christmas, she lovingly knitted dozens of stocking caps and collected items for Operation Christmas Child boxes. Her exemplary community service and selflessness will forever serve as an inspiration to all who knew her.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemoryChapelFuneralHome.com for the Avery family.