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Dr. Gary Wayne Ward was born May 6, 1953, to Uless Dewey “Hob” and Bertha Dobbs Ward in Fayette County, Alabama. The youngest of a family of four sisters and one brother, he always had playmates and being the youngest was always the student. This proved to be instrumental in his developing a love for education. His mother died when he was ten years old, and his sisters helped raise him. The family lived on a farm and raised cattle and truck crops.

He graduated from Wayside Junior High in 1968, and from Winfield High in 1971. He attended Northwest Alabama Junior College and in 1976 he earned a B.S. in Agricultural Education from Mississippi State University. He loved college and he continued taking classes during his teaching career. He earned his M.S. degree from MSU in 1978 and his Ed. Spec. degree in 1989. In 2002, he was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in Agricultural Education. During his years at Mississippi State, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

Dr. Ward taught Vocational Agriculture for 30 years at Richland High School; in Essex, Missouri, Dothan Vocational Center, and Winfield High School. Dr. Ward strived to develop in his students independent thinking skills and work skills that would allow them to get a good job. His students were always building shop projects and practicing for FFA Judging Contests. His FFA teams were very successful, but he was proudest of the students who earned college degrees in agriculture.

In 1985, Dr. Ward and Lynwood Hamilton founded the Marion County FFA Association. They developed land that the association owned, and the revenue was used to start a fund to grant scholarships, award prizes for FFA contests and to aid the Marion County FFA Chapters. He was twice president of the Winfield Education Association and was the leader in developing its annual scholarship and he was especially proud of starting the sick leave bank at Winfield City Schools.

In 1982, Dr. Ward was diagnosed with kidney disease and in 1989 began kidney dialysis. His sister Freddie worked as a nurse for Dr. James Moss and together they managed his health care and allowed him to continue teaching. In 1990 as 27-year-old woman from Tennessee lost her life in an automobile accident and her family donated a kidney to him. Thanks to that family and Dr. Arnold Diethelm at the UAB transplant center his life was changed forever. His prayer would be that you register as an organ donor on your driver’s license.

In 1992, after a whirlwind 7-year romance, he married the love of his life Rosa Aline Glasgow. Together they developed the family farm into a successful enterprise. During his retirement years Rosa and he worked on the farm and grew and canned vegetables. Dr. Ward and his wife traveled all over the world, sightseeing, attending bluegrass festivals, Broadway musicals, shopping for antiques, and meeting new people. Dr. Ward and Rosa were “childfree”, but he was proud to be called “Uncle Gary” by his many nieces and nephews. He was always available for babysitting duties. Many of those nieces and nephews learned to work by helping out on the farm.

Dr. Ward is survived by sisters, Mary Chappell (Seaborn), Freddie Hull, and Frances Burns, sister-in-law, Sandy Ward, and a host of nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and other family members.

Dr. Ward was preceded in death by his wife, Rosa Glasgow Ward, his parents, siblings, Benjamin Ward, Dewey Ward, and Dorothy “Dot” Agee, and brothers-in-law, John Hull and Perry Burns.

Funeral services for Dr. Ward will be held on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 12:00 noon from the Bowen Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow in the Siloam Baptist Church Cemetery. The visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon service time at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Siloam Baptist Church Cemetery Fund at: 538 Siloam Rd, Winfield, AL 35594

Bowen Funeral Home of Winfield serving the Ward family.

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Mrs. Sandra Faye Howell Dunavant, age 76 of the Bazemore community, passed away on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at her residence. Mrs. Dunavant was born in Winfield, Alabama on November 14, 1947 to Boyd Ray and Ara Wyers Howell. Mrs. Dunavant was a member of the Whites Chapel Church of Christ where she taught Sunday School and assisted with VBS for over 20 years. Sandra attended Hubbertville High School, she later earned her GED and an LPN degree. She was employed with Winfield Hospital for many years and later with Dr. Dale Spruiell at Winfield Internal Medicine until her retirement. She enjoyed cooking and baking, working in her yard, and was always willing to help others. Mrs. Dunavant loved her family, she never missed an event or any activity of her grandchildren or her great grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Tim Dunavant and his wife Rhonda, grandchildren, Brad Bowles and his wife Brittney, Kaycee Bowles Rogers her husband Stephen, Madelyn Dunavant Hester and her husband Jake, Katelyn Dunavant, Kendallyn Dunavant, great grandchildren, McKinley Bowles, Gracelyn Bowles, Eli Rogers, Sawyer Bowles, Emily Rogers, brothers, Aaron Howell and his wife Pam, Douglas Howell and his wife Patsy, a son-in-law, Dennis Bowles, and a host of nieces, nephews, church family and other family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Dexter Dunavant, her parents, and her daughter, Teresa Faye Dunavant Bowles.

Funeral services for Mrs. Dunavant will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 from the Whites Chapel Church of Christ with burial to follow in the adjoining cemetery. The visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2:00 until 3:00 p.m. service time at the church.

Bowen Funeral Home of Winfield, Alabama serving the Dunavant family.

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Mr. Robert Bryant Corbett, age 57, of Irondale passed away on Sunday April 7, 2024 at his residence. Mr. Corbett was born on April 5, 1967 to Robert and Jettie Atkinson Corbett. Bryant was a 1985 graduate of Midfield High School and he later attended Wallace State Community College in Livingston. He was employed with UPS for more than 17 years before his retirement. In his spare time Bryant enjoyed fishing, baseball, Alabama football, grilling, spending time with his family, and he loved helping his daughter Maddie’s with softball.

Bryant is survived by his wife, Jenni Fisher Corbett, daughter, Maddie Rose Corbett, stepson, Garrett Hosey, mother, Jettie Corbett, sister, Robin Jackson (Robby), nieces, Halie Stewart (Wayne), and Julianna Cohen (Hunter), great niece, Lily Stewart, and a host of aunts, uncles and other family members and friends.

Bryant was preceded in death by his father, Robert Corbett.

A memorial service for Mr. Corbett will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. from the Bowen Funeral Home Chapel. The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. service time at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, a college savings fund has been set up for Maddie. Checks can be made payable to CollegeCounts 529 Benefit. Memo reference, Madilyn Rose Corbett 11943 Hwy 107S Winfield, AL 35594.

Bowen Funeral Home of Winfield serving the Corbett family.

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Mrs. Gloria D. Stovall, age 79 of Winfield passed away on Sunday, April 7. 2024 at her residence. Gloria was born October 31, 1944 to Brody and Addine Miles Rose. She was a member of the Winfield Church of Christ and a 1963 graduate of Winfield City High School. Gloria was employed for many years as a dental assistant for Dr. George Mann and Dr. Max Thomas, as a kindergarten teacher’s aide with Winfield Elementary School, with the Marion County Board of Registrars from 1996 until 2000, and later with her family business, Stovall Contractors until her retirement. Gloria was the second lady to serve on the Winfield City Council, holding her office for 12 years. She was a member of the Modern Culture Club, and the Cosmopolitan Club, and she loved to be involved with all their activities. Gloria was also involved and had active roles with the works of the Marion County Community Actions, Northwest Alabama Kidney Foundation, and the Board of Registrars.

Mrs. Stovall is survived by her husband of 62 years, Roger Stovall, daughter, Amy Stovall Pruitt (Darrin), sons, Alan Stovall, and Kyle Stovall (Angie), grandchildren, Shane Darty, Hillary Smith (Chad), Derek Stovall (Victoria) and Brant Stovall, great-grandchildren, Cailyn, Caralee, Colton, Harper, and Kinsley, and her sister, Barbara Ivie (Butch) host of other family members and friends.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Stovall was preceded in death by granddaughter, Katelyn Stovall, and daughter-in-law, Melissa Stovall.

A Celebration of Life was held on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. from the Bowen Funeral Home Chapel. The family received friends from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. service time at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be made to Caregivers of the Winfield Church of Christ or the charity of your choice.

Bowen Funeral Home of Winfield serving the Stovall family.