Obituaries for William A. Handley, Randolph, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/obits/wahandley.txt ============================================= USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Project Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file is copyrighted and contributed by: William Fischer, Jr. ============================================= September 2001 USEFUL LIFE OF CAPTAIN W. A. HANDLEY HAS COME TO AN END ---------------------------- Last Wednesday [23 Jun 1909] Roanoke sustained the loss of her most distinguished citizen when Hon. William A. HANDLEY, at the age of seventy-four and a half years, was called from the labors of time to the rewards of eternity. His death occurred at 10:40, a.m., following a period of declining health covering several years. He had been confined to his room since receiving a fall the third of June, which dislocated his right shoulder. While his death was expected, the unwelcome news carried a sense of loss to many hearts, not only here, but wherever the influence of his useful life had extended. It was realized that a strong man had fallen -- one whose place could not be filled. Captain HANDLEY had been a citizen of Randolph county practically all of his life, and of Roanoke the latter half of that period. He had been foremost in almost all the forward movements of his town and county, and held a unique place in the hearts of his people. Elsewhere in this paper appears an editorial comment upon the character of Captain HANDLEY, and also a sketch of his life written by Major J. D. BARRON, of the Montgomery Advertiser. The largest outpouring of people ever witnessed on a similar occasion attended the funeral of the deceased statesman and financier at the Baptist church at 3 o’clock Thursday afternoon. Every seat in the main auditorium and the Sunday school room was taken, while many stood in the corridors outside. The gallery was filled with members of the negro [sic] race, whose staunch friend Mr. HANDLEY had always been. When the hour of the funeral arrived the sense of sadness felt throughout the community was voiced in the tolling of the college bell and the bells of the several churches of the city, mingled with the hoarse and long-continued whistle of the cotton mill of the W. A. HANDLEY Manufacturing Company. The body had been embalmed by a firm of local undertakers and placed in a handsome black metallic casket, covered with flowers which was borne by Messrs. F. P. NICHOLS, J. T. GAUNTT, J. C. HORNSBY, C. D. MANLEY, W. Y. CHEWNING, W. L. STEWART, John T. HEFLIN, J. Thomas HEFLIN, E. P. MICKLE and B. C. JONES. The honorary pall bearers were Messrs. J. D. and B. F. MOORE, G. W. and I. G. HILL, H. M. MICKLE and Dr. W. L. HEFLIN. In the funeral procession the Masonic lodge marched in a body, and occupied reserved seats in the building, and behind them sat the United Daughters of the Confederacy, wearing their colors in mourning. All the ministers in the city occupied seats upon the rostrum, as follows: Revs A. S. BRANNAN, George STOVES, G. E. BREWER, S. L. DOBBS, W. J. LAYTON, L. N. CLAXTON, W. D. BURKHEAD and C. W. SEALE. The services were opened with the singing by the choir of the sweet old hymn, “Asleep in Jesus.” Rev. S. L. DOBBS read an appropriate Scripture lesson and offered a fervent prayer. Madam Frosolono then sang, “The Unclouded Day” -- a favorite song of the deceased. Rev. Geo. E. BREWER, of Notasulga, delivered the funeral sermon, which was both edifying and comforting. The text was the 14th and15th verses of the 11th chapter of John’s Gospel. Following him, Rev. George STOVES spoke upon the life of Captain HANDLEY as a public man, and paid high tribute to his worth as a citizen and a benefactor of his race. Rev. A. S. BRANNAN then discussed the religious life of the deceased, relating the story of his conversion when a young man and of his uniting with the Baptist church some eight years ago, also his love of the old hymns. Two telegrams of condolence were announced, one from the pastor of the church, Rev. T. J. PORTER, who was absent on account of the death of his brother. He requested that the words of Paul be read to the congregation: “I have fought a good fight,” etc. As the choir sang the concluding hymn, “Shall we gather at the river,” the school children, under the direction of Prof. [W. H.] McDANIEL, marched by the body of the most faithful friend Roanoke College ever had and each placed a white flower upon his casket. How true it is that if every boy and girl whom this friend of his race had helped could have placed a blossom upon his bier, he would have slept under a mountain of flowers! As a further token of love and respect, the Daughters of the Confederacy had draped the pulpit and the choir railing in black and white streamers and banked flowers upon the platform. Many lovely floral designs were offered. At 5 o’clock the funeral procession moved solemnly to the public cemetery [Cedarwood], where all that was mortal of Hon. William A. HANDLEY was laid to rest to await the final summons to awake the sleeping dead. The Masonic fraternity paid the last honors by rendering the funeral ritual of the ancient order. The interment was in a front lot near the first entrance of the cemetery. After the brick masons had concluded their labors the vault was covered with flowers and the ground around strewn with white sand. -------------------------- A GOOD FRIEND GONE -------------------------- Another good friend of this city, whose works will live after him, passed from the stage of human action when Major W. A. HANDLEY expired yesterday at his home in Roanoke, Ala. His was a stalwart figure. An impress of his genius and energy is left both upon the business and political life of the state. His death will be widely mourned, but in no place more sincerely than in Birmingham, where his influence was a large factor in the progress of the community. --- [Originally published in the] Birmingham News ---------------------------- A DISTINCT LOSS ---------------------------- “East Alabama and Alabama lost one of its foremost citizens in the death of Major W. A. HANDLEY, of Roanoke, Wednesday,” said W. H. AVERY, a former citizen of Randolph county. “Major HANDLEY was one of the biggest-hearted men in the world. He was practically the founder of the splendid school system at Roanoke. Major HANDLEY’s special hobby was educating poor boys and girls that were unable to pay their way through school and college. There are hundreds of young men and women in East Alabama whose first start in life was through the generous assistance of Major HANDLEY. Despite his feeble health during the past year, Major HANDLEY never lost interest in the cause of education. He was as much an advocate of education the past five years as at any time during his life.” --- [Originally published in the] Birmingham Ledger ---------------------------- MR. HEFLIN’S VISIT ---------------------------- Among the many out-of-town people who attended the funeral of Captain HANDLEY last Thursday was Congressman [J. Thomas] HEFLIN. The latter had been called from Washington by the fatal illness of his father-in-law [Zach SCHUESSLER, in LaFayette, Chambers county, AL], and returned immediately after the funeral to his bedside. Mr. HEFLIN and Captain HANDLEY were close friends, and the former spoke feelingly of the loss this entire section had sustained in the latter’s death. [All from The Roanoke Leader (Randolph County, Alabama), 30 June 1909, p.1] ---------------------------- [Editorial tribute to] HON. WILLIAM A. HANDLEY ---------------------------- The removal from the life of a community and a commonwealth of such a man as Hon. Wm. A. HANDLEY is no ordinary loss. It is an occasion when we do well to pause and pay tribute to the worth of such a character and to the value of such a life. His most ardent friends will not claim that Captain HANDLEY was free from the weaknesses of human flesh, while his most biased enemies will not deny that he was a man of more than ordinary strength. In seeking a fair measure of the merit of a man we must consider his environments, especially in the formative period of childhood. It is admitted that Mr. HANDLEY’s advantages in early life were far from the best. Yet, rather than be mastered by the untoward conditions which surrounded him, this sturdy country lad set out to make his way over difficulties to success. How admirably he succeeded is a matter of local history, well known to all. From the time Mr. HANDLEY began to carve out his fortune in this primitive country till the close of his active life he was a leading figure in all that made for the development of his town and county and state. He was a man of keen perception and strong determination, and had a way of bringing things to pass. Mr. HANDLEY seemed to have a genius for making money, but he never assumed the distasteful airs which many rich people flaunt in the face of their less fortunate fellows. He was intensely democratic in his feelings and in his manner of life. Moreover, his purse-strings were frequently loosened to aid in every good cause, and to help along worthy men and women who needed financial backing in some crisis in life. Striking characteristics of our deceased fellow-citizen were his love and loyalty towards his town and county, his affection for his comrades of the Confederacy, his catholicity of spirit concerning church creeds, and his devotion to the cause of education. These were manifested in many practical ways through a long and active career. While Captain HANDLEY was honored with a number of high official positions, it is probable that he felt more pride in the positions of president of the board of trustees of Roanoke College than in all others. This position he held from the establishment of the institution as a public school, some 35 years ago, to the day of his death, giving to it many hours of actual service without the hope of remuneration. There has gone from among us one, the like of whom we shall not see again. His wise counsel and able leadership will be missed by his fellows. Yet he has left behind an influence which his busy life set in motion that will not stand still till the revolutions of time be no more. Many whom this influence has helped will rise up in the final day and call him blessed whose ample mind and generous heart and liberal hand provided the benefaction. [From The Roanoke Leader (Randolph County, Alabama), 30 June 1909, p.4] [A photograph of William A. HANDLEY is front and center on the first page of both the 5 May 1909 and 30 Jun 1909 issues of The Roanoke Leader] [The Handley Manufacturing Company textile mill in Roanoke was razed in 1990]