Obituaries for Wed., March 16, 2016

Published 12:03 am Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Joyce Wilder Law

Joyce Wilder Law, 81, passed away March 13, 2016, at the Andalusia Regional Hospital.

She is survived by her beloved and devoted husband of 47 years, William Law; daughters Ellen Law of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Allison Law Griffin of Montgomery; a cousin in Andalusia, Polly Wilder Waits, and her husband, Sidney; as well as several cousins and in-laws.

She was born in Andalusia to Tracey Bangs Wilder and Inez Moye Wilder, and went to Church Street School and Andalusia High School. She was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church of Andalusia, where she was a volunteer on several committees over the years and a member of several Sunday school groups.

After high school, she went to Auburn University, where she was a charter member of Auburn’s chapter of Delta Delta Delta sorority. An only child, she cherished the sisterhood among her Tri-Delt sisters and maintained those relationships all her life. She earned a bachelor’s degree in secretarial science in 1957, and her love for Auburn and the Auburn spirit was lifelong.

She inherited a sharp mind for business from her father, for whom she worked during college, and after college she worked as a secretary for Chemstrand in Pensacola, Fla. Later, she came back to Andalusia to work for the Department of Pensions and Security, which is now the Department of Human Resources. She developed a lifelong love for helping people and being involved in the community; she later volunteered for several years with the American Red Cross.

She created treasured friendships as a member of a ladies’ bridge group for more than 50 years. Like her mother, she loved Atlanta Braves baseball (in the good years and the bad), and watching Auburn football. She passed on her love for pets and animals to her daughters, whom she loved dearly.

To honor that love of animals, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Humane Society of the United States or a local animal welfare group, or to a charity of your choice.

The visitation will begin at 1 p.m. today, Wed., March 16, at Foreman Brown Service Funeral Home, 1516 Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway, Andalusia, AL 36420, with the service at 2 p.m. Graveside service will begin immediately after at Magnolia Cemetery.