Obituary of Dr. Milton G. Norrell

Dr. Milton G. Norrell, 99, of Collegedale, Tennessee, passed away on April 5, 2019 at his residence. He was born on March 24, 1920 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

In 1946, Dr. Norrell married Juanita Mathieu. They raised four children and were married nearly 57 years when she passed in 2001. He remarried a college classmate, Ethel Tolhurst, in 2003.

It was while attending Southern Junior College (now Southern Adventist University) that he made the decision to become a doctor. He graduated from there in 1942, but within two weeks he found himself in the Army, serving during WWII for the next three and a half years.

After the war, Dr. Norrell continued his education in California and graduated from Loma Linda School of Medicine in 1951. He went on to start a family practice in Pell City, Alabama where he remained for 57 years, serving the residents of St. Clair County until his retirement in 2008. He and his wife Ethel then moved to Collegedale, Tennessee.

Dr. Norrell was a member of the Pell City Seventh-day Adventist Church and believed strongly in Christian education. He provided work and financial assistance so many could have the opportunity to attend Christian schools, a habit he continued through his lifetime.

Dr. Norrell was an avid reader and book collector, particularly on the subjects of medicine, the Bible, history, geography, and gardening.

Dr. Norrell is survived by his son, Bruce Norrell of Pell City, Alabama; daughter, Anita Norrell Pilkington of Talladega, Alabama; stepchildren, Dr. George F. Tolhurst (Jane) of Maryville Tennessee, Dr. Daniel Tolhurst (Pat) of Bermuda Dunes, California, and Dr. Judith E. Tolhurst of Chapin, South Carolina; grandchildren, Andrea June Goss, Sarah Lynn Goss, Samuel Adam Mathis, Angela Dawn Mathis, and Kevin Pearson; great-grandchildren, Matthew Gage Kay and Michael Shannon Poore; and great-niece and caregiver Shea Bledsoe Yeager of Cleveland, Tennessee.

He is predeceased by his parents, Milton G. Norell, Sr. and Fannie Stapleton Norrell; wife, Juanita Norrell (2001) and two of their daughters, Martha Jean Norrell (2013)and June Norrell Mathis (2014); wife, Ethel Norrell (2018); and siblings Victor Norrell, John Norrell, Frances Norrell Nick, and Joseph Oliver Norrell.

A memorial service for Dr. Norrell will be held Thursday, June 27 at 6:00 pm in the Pell City SDA Church, Pell City, AL. He will be interred alongside his wife Juanita in Pell City, AL.

In lieu of flowers you may contribute a memorial gift to The Milton G. Norrell, Jr. Work Initiative Scholarship Endowment at Southern Adventist University, P.O. Box 370, Collegedale, TN 37315.