Obituary of Mildred June Stathelson

Funeral services for Mildred June Stathelson (née Johnson), 86, of Talladega, Alabama will be Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Usrey Funeral Home Chapel located in Talladega, Alabama. Elders Ben Cordes, Barry Cordes, and Joshua Winslett will officiate. A burial service will be held at Hepzibah Baptist Church Cemetery in Renfroe, Alabama immediately following. The family will receive friends at 1:00 PM, immediately before services. Mrs. Stathelson passed away April 26, 2024, surrounded by her daughter, son-in-law, grandsons, and sister. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Cordes (Barry); grandchildren: Nikolaus Cordes (Jessica), Landon Cordes (Tania), and Ben Cordes (Hillery); great grandchildren: Joshua Cordes, Jonathan Cordes, Anna Cordes, and Zadie Cordes; and sister, Jeanette Zachero. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Steve Stathelson, Sr.; son, Elder James Steve Stathelson, Jr.; parents, James and Beatrice Johnson; and brother, Thomas C. Johnson. Pallbearers will be Austin Tylir Zachero, Anthony Zachero, and Wayne Davis, and her grandsons. Mrs. Stathelson was a faithful member of Beulah Primitive Baptist Church in Leeds, Alabama. A natural caregiver, she devoted years of her life to caring for her husband following a near-fatal automobile accident, as well as her father, mother, and a close family friend (Muriel Goldberg). Her career as a typesetter and a dark room supervisor began at Birmingham News and continued with Baptist Health System’s General Offices Print Shop, where she was respected both professionally and personally. Mrs. Stathelson was also an accomplished amateur genealogist, historical researcher, and author: she served as Talladega County Representative of the Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society in the late 1970’s, she published an extensive history of her family in A Family History Outline, and documented the history of the area of her family’s roots in Around Stemley Bridge. She also wrote various articles in the Talladega County Historical Association Newsletter and in Bonds of Love, a church periodical. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made in Mrs. Stathelson’s name to Beulah Primitive Baptist Church (c/o Deacon Keith Skinner, 3121 Daniel Drive, Moody, Alabama 35004. The family also wishes to express deep gratitude to the Southern Anesthesia Management Critical Care Team, to the many doctors, nurses, and supportive staff of Princeton Baptist Medical Center, and to Gentiva Hospice for their excellent care and compassion. Usrey Funeral Home in Talladega will direct the services.