Alabama
Stephen Broxton, 42
Died February 18, 2021.
Erwin Middle School, Center Point, AL
Exceptional Education, Basketball Coach
Students, teachers, and staff at Erwin Middle School are mourning the loss of a beloved teacher, who died battling COVID-19.
School Principal, Dr. Angela Bush said everyone at the school, and many in the community, are devastated to hear of 42-year-old Stephen Broxton’s passing. He died Thursday after battling COVID-19 for several weeks.
Dr. Bush remembers Mr. Broxton as a devoted and dedicated teacher with a heart of gold, often putting the needs of others above his own.
Being one of very few Black, male teachers, many looked to him as a role model.
Mr. Broxton taught Exceptional Education, and was also the Assistant Girls’ Basketball Coach at Center Point High School.
Dr. Bush said Mr. Broxton started feeling sick back in January complaining of a cough. But she said he hesitated to go to the doctor because he didn’t want his students to fall behind. Dr. Bush says Mr. Broxton tested positive for COVID-19 on January 14th, and unfortunately never recovered.
“He was a role model for the students, and he could relate to the students. This was his heart and passion: working with students…special relationship with the males. So, it’s been a bit hard on the teachers here, the students and some of our parents as well because he poured so much into us and our school,” Dr. Bush said.
Grief counselors have been at Erwin Middle School since Thursday offering support to students and staff.
Students have organized a celebration of life for Mr. Broxton. They’re having a balloon release scheduled for next Thursday.
Rodney Scott
Died December 17, 2020.
Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, AL
Basketball Coach
Rodney Scott, the head coach of Robert E. Lee High girls basketball, died on Thursday.
Montgomery Public School Superintendent Ann Roy Moore confirmed Scott’s death Thursday night. MPS released a statement regarding Scott’s “sudden” death.
“Coach Scott will be greatly missed. His commitment to his team and school was felt throughout our school district. Our hearts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” Patrick Fenderson, MPS District Athletic Director, said in a press release.
Scott started at Lee as a varsity assistant and a junior varsity coach for the Generals’ boys teams. For the past seven years, he led the girls program. He was an educator who wasn’t afraid to spend his own money on his players. Some players even referred to Scott as “Dad.”
“He genuinely cared about people,” Lee athletics director Tyrone Rogers said. “… There’s nothing you could say about Coach Scott that would get him mad. He was kind of a gentle giant, loved by so many people.”
MPS also announced that counseling services are being provided to students and staff.
Scott’s son, Rod, died in 2016 in a car crash on the interstate traveling to watch a basketball game in Birmingham. Scott had committed to playing for Jacksonville State University and helped lead Lee to a Central Regional finals appearance.
It’s been particularly challenging for Lee High School in recent years with several deaths of students, including athletes. In 2018, former star quarterback Shaquille Johnson was fatally shot in his home. In May, Jamari “Chop” Smith, who had committed to play football for UAB and led Lee to a state basketball title, drowned in an Auburn lake.
“(Coach Scott) affected so many kids’ lives in a positive way,” Rogers said. “Just something about him that made people gravitate toward him. … I pray for his family, those who loved him and knew him. … We lost one of our good soldiers.”
Dwayne Berry, 65
Died January 19, 2021.
Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, AL
Football Coach
Dwayne Berry, 65, started working at Robert E. Lee High as an ROTC instructor and a football coach in 2002. About seven years later when he landed a job with the Department of Veteran Affairs, he left teaching but didn’t leave behind his team.
“When he started coaching, he just got really close to the coaches and players to the point that he didn’t want to leave,” his daughter, Brittany Berry-Johnson, said. “He loved it. It was one of his biggest pride and joys.”
The longest-tenured coach on Lee’s staff, Berry dedicated nearly two decades to the Generals before dying Jan. 19 after fighting for more than a month to overcome the impacts of contracting COVID-19.
In his unexpected death, he joined a tragic list that weighs over the high school. The Lee community, which refers to themselves as a ‘FamiLee,’ has endured the loss of several staff members and students in recent years. In two months, Lee’s Assistant Principal Ennis McCorvey III and basketball coach Rodney Scott also died due to COVID-19. McCorvey and Berry had been best friends and were members of the same fraternity, Berry’s daughter said.
“There are so many people who have been devastated by his loss because he was the person who would help anybody. He helped so many students, so many kids over the past years,” Berry-Johnson said. “He was motivating. He was a great mentor and great friend.”
A dedicated husband, father and grandfather, Berry retired as a master sergeant in the Air Force after 25 years of service. He was a sports fanatic — a longtime Cowboys and Alabama State University fan, who recently started rooting for Alabama, too, since watching some of his Lee players start their collegiate career there.
“He was a very loving man,” Berry-Johnson said. “He didn’t meet any strangers.”
She described her father as a dependable man who loved his family and loved to put a smile on their faces. He was known as ‘Pop Pop’ to his grandchildren.
When he tested positive for COVID-19 in early December, he called his daughter to ask what to expect since she’d contracted the virus during the summer.
She’d gotten through it, and his family had no doubt he would, too. He’d always been healthy, active and athletic.
“He said he was feeling extremely weak and fatigued, but that was pretty much it at first,” she said.
The next week though, Jacinta Berry found her husband on the floor and called for an ambulance. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit on Dec. 18.
His vital signs were good, but he’d had asthma and his lungs were suffering.
“The virus attacked his lungs really bad and he was on a ventilator,” Berry-Johnson said. But despite that, “We had hope. They kept saying he’s doing really good, it was just his lungs.”
Things were looking up, with doctors saying Berry was stable enough to be moved out of the ICU. The morning before his transfer though, the Berry family was told they needed to hurry to the hospital as their dad’s heart rate and blood pressure fluctuated into dangerous territory.
“That whole day we were just on pins and needles like, ‘Come on Dad, we need you to come through,’” Berry-Johnson said.
He died just before 10 p.m. — his wife of nearly four decades sent home without him. He was a jovial man, she said.
The past few weeks, their home has been unwelcomely quiet.
“It’s very devastating,” Berry-Johnson said of her dad’s death. “We were in shock. We didn’t see anything like this happening. My dad is a fighter so we really thought he was going to fight through this. And he did fight for weeks, he just didn’t make it.”
More than her family, she recognizes the pain his death has caused throughout the community.
“A lot of people are saying they are going to truly miss him. He was that person that a lot of people depended on,” she said. “My dad really, really just loved being a helping hand to everyone, and I’m sure my dad wouldn’t want anyone to be sad and upset about him passing. I’m sure he’d say stay true to themselves and do the work that God put them on this earth to do.”
To those who knew him, she asked “keep his legacy going. … Continue to say his name. And look over us because this is hard for me and my family.”
Ennis McCorvey, 60
Died November 29, 2020.
Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, AL
Assistant Principal
Montgomery – MCCORVEY, Dr. Ennis J., III, a resident of Hope Hull, AL, passed away November 29, 2020. Graveside and burial service will be held Saturday, December 5, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at Alabama Heritage Cemetery, 10505 Atlanta HWY, 36117, with Pastor, Dr. Willie Welch, III officiating. The staff of E. G. Cummings Memorial Funeral Home directing. Public visitation will be held Friday, December 4, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Covid-19 social distancing and mandated face mask guidelines will be followed.
Joey Fine, 48
Died January 20, 2021.
Autauga Academy, Prattville, AL
Guidance Counselor, Football Chaplain
FINE, Joey Benton, 48, of Prattville, AL, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2021 at Autauga Academy Stadium at 10:00 a.m. with Reverend T.J. Conwell officiating. Burial will follow at Calcedonia Baptist Church Cemetery, 1750 Sardis Road, Gardendale, AL, 35071 at 2:00 p.m. with Prattville Memorial directing. Joey was the senior pastor at Seasons Church in Prattville and teacher and guidance counselor at Autauga Academy. Joey was preceded in death by his father, Brady Fine; grandparents, James and Kathleen Fine; grandfather, John Glover; step-grandparents, Cecil and Margaret Bullock. He is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Tammy Ware Fine; two sons, Braden Benton Fine and Carter Owen Fine; mother, Pat Bullock; stepfather, Calvin Bullock; stepmother, Judy Fine; sister, Jenifer Fine (Shawn)Kennett; brother, Jason Fine; five stepsisters, Alicia Jackson (Brad), Ashley Hullett (Bill), Kelly Walker (Robbie), Laina Goodwin and Andrea Spears (Steven); grandmother, Bernice Glover; extended family and many friends. Pallbearers will be Chad Harris, Jason Taylor, John McCann, Shawn Doss, Scott Norris and Chad Blevins. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his honor to Seasons Church, 926 Selma Hwy, Prattville, AL, 36067. The family requests that everyone please wear a mask and bring chair if needed.
Leslye Ames, 49
Died January 21, 2021.
Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery, AL
Music
Montgomery Public Schools is mourning the loss of a Booker T. Washington Magnet High School teacher.
MPS officials confirmed that piano teacher Leslye Ames has died.
“Mrs. Ames was a brilliant and beautiful spirit who was committed to developing the gifts and talents of young musicians. We will never forget the bright light that she and her family provided the entire BTW community and the piano magnet,” BTW Principal Quesha Starks said.
Ames was only 49 years old.
“She was a master pianist,” said Jeanne Charbonneau.
Ames died Thursday after a battle with COVID-19. Charbonneau is the president of FAME, short for Friends Of Arts Magnet Education directly tied to BTW. The loss of a talented instructor is being felt far and deep.
“And she was just thrilled to be here and be part of it. And we were excited to have her; her energy level, her passion, her commitment,” said Charbonneau.
Even though Ames was only at the school for one semester, she left a profound legacy.
“And she took off from the very beginning. The kids saw that, they knew that. They responded to her, and I think she will always be remembered for coming in and just taking over the program,” Charbonneau said.
This was the fourth employee death announced by MPS this week. Robert E. Lee High School assistant football coach Dwayne Berry, Capitol Heights Middle physical education teacher Lushers Lane and Park Crossing High School coach DeCarlos Perkins also died.
Of the eight county school employees who have died recently, five passed away from COVID-19.
Officials said counseling and support services are being provided to students and staff.
Michael Floyd, 50
Died January 28, 2021.
The Montgomery Academy, Montgomery, AL
History, Track & Field Coach
Mchael Preston Floyd, 50, of Montgomery, Alabama, died Thursday, January 28th, from complications of Covid-19.
He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Shirley Wade Floyd and the late Robert Donald Floyd, Jr. He is survived by his brother Donald Floyd (Lisa), nieces Hailey Floyd, Lindsey Floyd and nephew Samuel Floyd, beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, and his faithful furry companion, Jackson.
Michael graduated from E. C. Glass High School and Frostburg State University. After obtaining his degree in History and Education, he went on to teach his favorite subject AP World History, and coach young athletes in track and field, cross country, and pole vault (a special favorite). For the last ten years Michael made his home in Alabama, while serving as teacher and a head coach at The Montgomery Academy. He was devoted to his students and athletes and he worked tirelessly to help them succeed in academics, athletics and life.
Michael found opportunities to serve the broader Montgomery community by organizing and hosting the Race for Hunger Track Meet, which gave students and athletes an opportunity to raise funds to support the Montgomery Area Food Bank.
Michael’s family, friends, students, and colleagues will greatly miss him. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
The Floyd family recommends the following charities for anyone who wishes to make a contribution in Michael’s memory:
The Montgomery Academy Track and Field Program
Montgomery Area Food Bank 521 Trade Center Street Montgomery, AL 36108
Derrick Johnson, 43
Died January 10, 2021.
Huffman High School, Birmingham, AL
Special Education, Wrestling Coach
A Birmingham City Schools coach who also taught special education died just days after his 43rd birthday. Derrick Johnson’s family told WBRC he passed away after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for a little more than two weeks.
Johnson, affectionately known as “Behr,” was unforgettable and those who knew and loved him were devastated by the untimely loss.
“We are hurting right now. We really, really are,” said Huffman High School Principal John C. Lyons.
An educator, athlete and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Johnson was simply one of those people who everyone liked. He dedicated his life to teaching children with special needs, serving 18 years with Birmingham City Schools.
Johnson began his career as a paraprofessional and coach in 2002 at his alma mater, Woodlawn High School. He was one of the youngest of the bunch of experienced educators at Woodlawn and in them, he found friends and mentors.
“I was assistant principal at the time over at Woodlawn. He told me he wanted to be an educator. More than anything that’s what he wanted to do,” Lyons recalled.
Principal Lyons now leads Huffman High School, where Johnson coached football, wrestling and taught his final classes.
Lyons said he wanted to start Birmingham City School’s only wrestling team and Behr was the coach.
On Christmas Eve 2020, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and later hospitalized. Lyons recalled the last conversation he had with Johnson just before he was taken to ICU. The pair found laughter in the darkest moment.
“I spoke to him on December 31. I said, ‘Stop playing around with this thing and let them do what they need to do so you can get back to work!’” Lyons joked. “I said, ‘We’ve got to move your classroom. Come on!’ He just laughed and said, ‘You have moved me all over the school.’”
Johnson died a little over a week later on January 10, 2021. Lyons vowed to continue Behr’s legacy.
“He was always happy, always laughing, always jovial. I’m proud to have been his supervisor and his friend,” said Lyons.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association released a statement calling Johnson an “icon” and offered condolences to family and friends.
Birmingham City School’s offered counseling to staff. Funeral arrangements have not been made at this time.
Julie Yeager, 56
Died December 9, 2020.
Chelsea Middle School, Chelsea, AL
Mathematics
She was born on July 10, 1964 in Camp Zama, Japan to Edgar and Sekiko Heacock. Julie graduated from Auburn University and began her lifelong career in education. She was a beloved teacher at Chelsea Middle School and a mentor to all of her students in Shelby County. Julie was a loving, kind, and gentle mother to her children, a beloved daughter and sister, and a fun-loving aunt.
Preceding her in death is her daughter, Hannah Grace Yeager; and her mother, Sekiko Heacock. Left to cherish her memory is her son, Nicholas Paul Yeager; her loving partner and companion, Lee Hibbs (also known as Coach Hibbs); her father, Edgar Heacock; her two sisters, Misayo Heacock Lim and her husband T.S. Lim, Erimi Heacock Young and her husband Brad Young; and nieces and nephews, Eric Lim and his wife Abbie, Meggie Lim, Kennith Young and his wife Kara, and Mary Allison Young.
The family has set up a Venmo account for donations to be made to the Julie Yeager Algebra I Fund at Chelsea Middle School. All donations will be transferred to the account at Chelsea Middle School. The Venmo account is @JulieYeagerAlgebra1Fund
Tim Gilbert, 60
Died December 8, 2020.
Marshall County Schools, AL
Transportation Supervisor
Mr. Timothy Don “Tim” Gilbert, age 60, of Geraldine, passed away Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Funeral services will be held at 12pm on Friday, December 11, 2020 from the graveside at Geraldine First Baptist Church Cemetery with burial to follow. Officiating will be Bro. Charles Bishop and Bro. Andy Brown. *Survivors* Wife: Melissa Farley Gilbert Daughter: Mallory Gilbert Sons: Justin (Ashley) Gilbert and Josh (Jacey) Gilbert Sister: Kay (Floyd) Wells Brothers: Barry (Elaine) Gilbert and Sammy (Brenda) Gilbert Grandchildren: Konnor Gilbert, Madden Gilbert, and Maklee Gilbert Niece: Nicole (Robson) Copenhaver Nephew: Chris (Jennifer) Gilbert **Mr. Gilbert was preceded in death by his parents: Coy & Willie Jo Gilbert; an infant grandchild** **In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tim Gilbert Memorial Fund at Liberty Bank**