JOHN CHARLES THIES, age 96 of Hoover, Alabama passed away on Veterans Day, November 11, 2025. He was born on June 14,1929, in Birmingham, Alabama, where he lived most of his life except for about eight years in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

John was an active member of Lakeside Baptist Church, a past member of Central Park Baptist Church where he served as Church Clerk for ten years, and Valleydale Baptist Church.

He graduated from Ensley High School, attended Birmingham Southern College and was a 1951 Mechanical Engineering graduate from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University). He also completed the Public Utility Executive Course at Georgia Tech in 1969. He was a member of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honorary Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Honorary Engineering Fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Scholastic Fraternity at Auburn.

John served in the Alabama Army National Guard, then in the U.S. Air Force as an officer during the Korean War, working as project officer on a ramjet engine development for a supersonic inter-continental guided missile at the Wright Air Development Center in Dayton, Ohio, Air Research and Development Command. He received a direct commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force.

He was a Registered Professional Engineer in the States of Alabama and Ohio – retired status in recent years. His working career after graduation from college also included U.S. Air Force Civil Service, Birmingham Fabricating Company, U.S. Steel Corporation and Southern Company Services. He was a manager in the Fuel Department of Southern Company Services for many years and retired from Southern Company Services in 1988 after 24 years of service.

For the past two years, John attended weekly meetings of the Anchor Ministry for people living with memory loss due to dementia. He moved from his home in September 2024 to The Bungalows at Riverchase assisted living facility. In September 2025 after hospitalization due to congestive heart failure, he moved to the Galleria Woods skilled nursing facility. After a second hospitalization in late October, he returned to Galleria Woods on hospice, where he passed away, in peace and with his family.

Visitation will be Tuesday, November 18, 2025 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at Ridout’s Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, Alabama. Funeral services will also be at Ridout’s Southern Heritage on November 18 at 1 p.m. conducted by Dr. Richard Trader. Private interment, Elmwood Cemetery.

For those who desire to do so, the family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the Friends Helping Friends Ministry at Lakeside Baptist Church (2865 Old Rocky Ridge Rd., Birmingham, AL 35243), Anchor Community Respite Ministry – Asbury United Methodist Church (6690 Cahaba Valley Road, Birmingham, AL 35242), or your favorite charity.

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Just posted the Nov. – Dec. 2025 newsletter Volume 37 Issue 6.

Click here to view the latest list of newsletters.

We would like to invite you to our Annual Holiday Luncheon!

SCS/SNC RETIREES
ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
VESTAVIA COUNTRY CLUB

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

MEETING AGENDA
Sign in / Social Hour
11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.

Board of Directors Meeting
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Noon
Seated Luncheon

Menu:
Holiday Salad, Roast Turkey Breast, Cranberry Sauce Dressing, Southern Green Beans, Squash Casserole, Chocolate Roulage and Red Velvet Cake.

12:15 p.m.
Program:
We will have Piano Music with Cheryl Ramsey.
Business Meeting / Election and Installation of 2026 Officers

1:50 p.m.
Door Prizes and Adjournment

There is a nominal $20 charge to help pay for each meal. You should have already received an invitation in the mail and can continue to mail in the invitation and pay by check. However, you also have the option to register and pay by credit card electronically.

Please make you payment or mail your check and registration so that it is received on or before Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

If you want to pay by credit card, Click Here or go to the Payments menu tab shown above. Please select the number of tickets you need and enter your name and any guest name in the box located on the payment form. (This information will be used to print your name tags!)

If paying by check, make your check payable to SCS/SNC Retirees and mail it and your registration form to Dora Brandt at 1616 Heritage Place, Birmingham, Al 35210.

Please note this is a firm reservation.

Cancellation are allowed no later than November 6, 2025 by calling Dora Brandt, 205-956-0502.  After that date, no exceptions, except in case of family emergency.

Thank you, and we hope to see you there!

Peggy Elaine Burdeshaw went to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at the age of 82 with her family by her side.

Peggy was born on March 23, 1943 in Columbus, Georgia. She was retired from Southern Company Services. She was a member of Gardendale First Baptist Church for nearly 40 years where she served alongside her husband in ministry and dedicated her life to the Lord.

Peggy was the matriarch of her family, a truly devoted wife, a loving Mother, a one-of-a-kind Grandmother, and a beloved friend. She found joy in the simple pleasures of life—spending time with her family and friends, especially her cherished grandbabies. She loved cooking, shopping, sewing, working in the yard, and doing puzzles. She loved being in the sunshine; she was happiest at the beach or on a scenic drive, taking in the beauty around her.

Peggy was gentle in spirit, with a servant’s heart that quietly cared for others in both small and meaningful ways. She led not with words, but by her daily example. Though soft-spoken, her love for those around her was profound and unwavering.

Peggy is preceded in death by her husband, James Burdeshaw, her parents, Herman Hendon and Herbert and Dorothy Jones, and a sister, Linda Reddish.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at Ridout’s Gardendale Chapel, 2029 Decatur Highway, Gardendale, AL 35071, with a time of visitation to begin at 10:00 AM; funeral service at 11:00 AM, followed by her burial at Oakwood Memorial Gardens, Gardendale, AL.

Click here to link to the funeral home obituary.

David Killough Searcy, age 87, of Hoover, AL, passed away peacefully on September 3, 2025, with his family by his side. He leaves behind a loving family and a lifetime of cherished memories.

David grew up as an adventurous boy in Trussville, Alabama, the son of Ollie and Rhonda Searcy, and brother of sister, Rhonda. He treasured childhood days spent with cousins and friends, forging early friendships that would endure a lifetime. He loved to relate stories about growing up in the “project” and the people he knew.

After graduating from Hewitt Trussville High School, David attended Auburn University, where he earned both a mechanical engineering degree and a master’s degree with a concentration in Heat Transfer in 1961. It was there he met the love of his life, Mary Ross, and their partnership began a lifelong journey filled with shared dreams and steadfast devotion.

Following college, David began a distinguished career in engineering. His first position was in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, where he contributed to the rocket engine development that played a role in the space race. It was in South Florida that he discovered a passion for Corvettes, fishing, and the beaches.

The family later moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he worked on rocket and missile propulsion systems at Thiokol Chemical. In 1971, as the space program evolved and energy became a dominant industry, the family relocated to their newly built, lifelong home in Hoover, Alabama. David joined Southern Company Services, where he worked on both hydroelectric and nuclear power plant design and concluded his professional journey from there with retirement as Manager of the Production Services Dept.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ollie and Rhonda Searcy and his sister, Rhonda Lee Edwards. He will be deeply missed by his wife of 65 years, Mary Ross Searcy; his children,

A visitation will be held on September 12, 2025, from 1:00 pm until 2:00 pm at Ridouts Chapel Trussville. Following will be a graveside service at Jefferson Memorial Gardens conducted by Dr. Gregg Corbin of Lakeside Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to your local animal rescue or shelter.

Click here to link to the funeral home obituary.