ERNIE (ERNEST) O. LOVELADY

Ernie (Ernest) Owen Lovelady was born on August 6, 1927 in Whitesburg, Georgia, a small town near Carrollton. The family moved to Cullman, Alabama when he was very young and he went to school in Cullman. After school, he served three years in the US Air Force, 1945 to 1948, where he spent a year in Germany and 8 months in Greenland. He was a sergeant in the Weather Division. After the Air Force, he moved to Greenville, Alabama where he worked for a music company (a juke-box route as he called it). He ate his lunch at the counter of the local drug store, where he met Linnie. He said that he tried everything on the menu and she burned it all. “The only thing she could cook was a grilled cheese sandwich,” (Linnie would probably disagree) so that is what he ate almost every day for the next 60 years while they were married until Linnie died in 2010. In 1952, Ernie and Linnie moved to Birmingham. Ernie worked for US Steel for the next 30 years. He was an electronic foreman in the tin mill, where the steel was coated with tin and aluminum for cans, including beer cans, a business Ernie felt an obligation to support! Ernie was loved by all. His brother Reese described him in a family history “Ernie has a good personality, lovable, fun loving and willing to assist those who need help.” For those who knew him, I’m sure they would agree. He passed away at the age of 90 on March 28, 2018. He was proceeded in death by his wife of 58 years, Linnie Lovelady, his brothers and sisters, J.P., Clara, Mozelle, Robert Reese “Bob”, Mary, Bill, and Boyd. He is survived by his son Mike, and many nieces and nephews along with their families who loved him very much. The visitation will be Tuesday, April 3, 2018, from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM at Peoples Chapel Funeral Home in Hueytown, Alabama (195 Brooklane Drive). The funeral service will be at 2:00 PM at the Funeral Home. Burial will be private at Highland Memorial Gardens. Everyone is invited to come by his home at 1120 Beacon Pky E, Unit 406, Birmingham, AL 35209 following the service. Many sincere thanks to all the wonderful friends, neighbors and family, and to the staff at Danberry, Fair Haven, and UAB for all the love and care given to Ernie and his family. In lieu of flowers, Ernie himself requested that donations be made to the Alzheimers Association in memory of Jodie Darby, a beloved friend.