JANE C. HUNT
Jane C. Hunt, 83, passed peacefully from this life on Saturday morning, July 1, 2023, in Auburn, after a two-year battle with leukemia, with her children by her side.
She was a follower of Christ and a member of the University church of Christ in Auburn. She moved to Auburn shortly after the passing of her husband, Charles (Charlie) in 2021.
She was born and raised in Sheffield, Alabama and after marrying Charlie, moved to nearby Florence, Alabama, where they raised their three children. Upon retirement, she and Charlie moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where they lived for 26 years. She spent her final two years living in Auburn. She enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren and researching family history on the internet. She also enjoyed interior decorating, antiquing and sewing.
Jane was preceded in death by her husband Charlie, father E. Dwight Cantrell and mother H. Tommie Cantrell. She is survived by three children Chuck Hunt and wife Caralise (Auburn), Janet Hunt (Atlanta) and Beth Dunaway and husband Matt (Birmingham), four grandchildren Corey and Carter Hunt, and Lily and Anderson Dunaway.
A memorial service for Jane will be officiated by David Maxson at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2023, inside the Chapel of Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home located at 1500 Fredrick Road in Opelika. Visitors will be received beginning at 2 p.m. (one hour preceding the service) also inside the Funeral Home. Jane will thereafter be laid to rest during a private ceremony which will take place at a later date and time.
SUSAN STARR
Susan Starr was born in 1946 in Great Falls, Montana, to Barbara and Robert Blair. Susan’s mother was a teacher and her father an Air Force pilot who had flown in the Berlin Airlift.
Susan and her younger sister Leslie lived in sunny Hawaii as children. After the death of her father, Susan moved to Texas with her mother and sister. This is where she spent much of her young life.
Susan attended the University of Houston where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. She gave birth to her first daughter, Meredith Shay, in 1966 with former spouse John Boehme.
Susan moved to California in 1968 and began working as a secretary in the Sociology Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara. She met Paul Starr, then a Ph.D. graduate student in sociology. The pair married in 1972 and moved with Meredith to Beirut, Lebanon, where Paul had his first teaching position at the American University of Beirut (AUB). While raising her daughter, Susan completed a master’s degree in English at AUB and taught there. The family had to leave Beirut during the Civil War of 1975.
Paul, Susan and Meredith moved to Auburn, where Paul became Professor of Sociology at Auburn University. Susan gave birth to her second daughter, Kristen Amanda, in 1976 and did some coursework towards her Ph.D. in English. She also worked as a secretary at Auburn University. In 1982 the family moved to Cairo, Egypt, where Paul took a sabbatical at the American University in Cairo (AUC). There, Susan took care of her family on the Egyptian economy. She worked at the Library of Cairo American College where her daughters attended school. The family returned to Auburn in 1984.
In 1988, Paul, Susan and Kristen moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where Paul worked on a USAID contract for a reforestation project. Susan enjoyed many tropical days surrounded by art at her lovely house nestled in the mountains. The family again returned to Auburn in 1991, where Susan spent time at home reading, journaling and spending time with dear friends and her cats. She also traveled around Europe and the United States to see her beloved grandchildren Betsy, Kate and Emma. Betsy was born in 1992, Kate in 1997 and Emma in 1998. Susan loved to tour art museums, gardens and historical sites with her family.
She was an active member of Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where she served as social action chair and stayed close to her Episcopalian roots.
In her later years, Susan struggled mightily with pain and mobility issues. Her loving, magical spirit brought her through these times. After her husband Paul’s death in 2019, Susan’s daughter Kristen cared for her with the help of caregivers. Susan moved to Dadeville Healthcare Center in 2021 and spent her final days at Bethany House, where she died surrounded by her family on June 29, 2023. Susan is survived by her sister, Leslie Lucas (Tim); her daughters, Meredith Starr Ericksen (Lee) and Kristen Amanda Starr; and her granddaughters, Elisabeth Karin Ericksen, Katherine Blair Ericksen, and Emma Shay Ericksen.
A memorial and celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. CST on Saturday, July 29, at Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, located at 450 E. Thach Ave. in Auburn.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to:
Aid to
Inmate Mothers
660 Morgan Ave. Montgomery, Alabama, 36104.
www.inmatemoms.org,
JOHN S. FOSHEE
John S. Foshee of Beauregard was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. to Judy and John D. Foshee on Aug. 29, 1965. He passed away at the age of 57 on June 28, 2023, at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika.
He was preceded in death by his parents Judy and John D. Foshee and brother, Jimmy D. Foshee.
He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Tammy Sue Foshee; children Bailey Padgett (Daniel), Autumn Arnette (John) and Ethan Foshee; grandchildren Madelyn Padgett and Henry Padgett; brothers, Jason Foshee (Michelle) and Justin Foshee; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and other family members.
A memorial service was held at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday July 1 2023, at 5 p.m.
Frederick-Dean Funeral Home handled all arrangements.
MARY MCQUENN SANFORD WHATLEY
Mary McQueen Sanford Whatley peacefully passed away on June 29, 2023. She was born on May 14, 1937, in El Paso, Texas. The Sanford family returned to their home place in Prattville, Alabama, in 1940. She attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, and transferred to Auburn University to receive a degree in education. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.
She met her husband, Woods, in Atlanta, while she was teaching elementary school and they were married in 1963. They moved to Opelika with their two children, Forest and Mary Lea, in 1981. In Opelika, she began a new career in real estate with J.S. White Realty and retired from Realty South in 2018. She worked as a realtor in the Auburn-Opelika area for more than 40 years.
She was proceeded in death by her parents, Mary Owen Murfee Sanford and Robert Lee Sanford, her husband Forest Woods Whatley and her sister, Louise Sanford Butner.
She is survived by her brothers, Robert Lee Sanford Jr., Joseph Graham Sanford and James Hopson Sanford (Dot Sanford). She is also survived by her son Forest Woods Whatley Jr., (Leigh Hull Whatley), her daughter Mary Lea Nist and her four grandchildren, Ann McQueen Whatley, William Thomas Nist, Forest Leland Whatley, and Elizabeth Pratt Nist.
She was a faithful servant of the Lord and a member of Trinity Church for 42 years. She was a devoted wife and mother who was deeply loved by her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. Mary McQueen also formed special relationships with her caretaker angels over the past year and loved each one of them dearly.
There will be a family graveside service at Garden Hills Cemetery on July 6, 2023, with visitation at 1 p.m. at Trinity Church in Opelika. The memorial service will follow at 2 p.m., with the Rev. Earl Ballard officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:
Trinity Church
800 2nd Ave.
Opelika, AL 36801 or
Compassus Bethany House
1171 Gatewood Drive
Building 100
Auburn, AL 36830
WILLIAM “BILLY” N. JACKSON
Billy Jackson, 61, of Opelika. passed away on June 28, 2023, following an extended illness.
Born in Opelika, on May 17, 1962, Billy graduated from Opelika High School in 1980 and earned his degree in public relations from Auburn University in 2004.
In 2011, Billy joined the Opelika Parks and Recreation (OPR) department as the center supervisor at the Opelika SportsPlex. He oversaw the disc golf program in Opelika and championed the idea of the two new disc golf courses currently being constructed at Spring Villa. He was involved in many OPR special programs and was dedicated to his job and his coworkers, always being willing to help anywhere he was needed. Prior to joining OPR, Billy worked as a patient liaison for East Alabama Health and at EAMC’s Bethany House. An avid and talented photographer, Billy worked for the Opelika Daily News and did freelance photo shoots throughout the community.
Billy was a serious collector of baseball cards and LP albums, was a huge fan of the Opelika Bulldogs, the Auburn Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. He was a loyal son, brother, uncle and friend who greeted everyone with a smile.
He was preceded in death by his mother Bobbye Jackson and his stepmother, Merris Jackson. He is survived by his father Don (Paula) Jackson Sr. and one brother Don (Susan) Jackson of Opelika, sister Cheryl (Phil) Smitherman of Bremen, Georgia; niece Meredith (Randy) Turner of Opelika; nephews Hunter Jackson of Waverly. and Jackson, Harrison and Parker Smitherman of Bremen; a great-niece and two great-nephews.
A celebration of life service was held Sunday, July 2, at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home with the Pastor Kevin Haefner officiating. Visitation was from 1 to 2 p.m., with the service immediately afterwards.
Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory handled the arrangements.