11/16/2025
Family, Flowers, Football and Fun!
Betty Spradley, age 84, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away on Friday, November 14, 2025. Betty was born September 1, 1941, in Millerville, Alabama, the daughter of Woodrow and Mildred Stillwell of Vincent, Alabama.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence Spradley, parents Woodrow and Mildred Stillwell, and granddaughter Kinsey Jacklyn Spradley. She is survived by her son Darryl (Billie), daughter Krista Spradley Chambless (Ric), Sister Janice Greenleaf (William), and grandchildren Wilson Chambless (Chelsea), Wesley Chambless, Emma Chambless, Taylor Spradley, Eryn Spradley, and great-grandsons Sterling Chambless and Oliver Chambless.
After graduating from Vincent High School in 1959, Betty left Vincent to attend Jacksonville State University. Upon graduating with a B.S. degree in Phlebotomy, she married her high school sweetheart Lawrence Spradley, and they moved to New Jersey so that Lawrence could attend Stevens Institute of Technology to earn a master's degree. Betty worked at Morristown memorial Hospital during this time as a lab technician. In 1966, Lawrence and Betty came “home” to settle in Huntsville, Alabama, where they began a family.
During all those years in Huntsville, Lawrence and Betty started a family having a son, Darryl, and daughter, Krista. As a stay-at home mom, Betty worked hard to make sure her family was well dressed, fed, and loved. She chauffeured her children to afternoon activities—Darryl to little league baseball and basketball and Krista to swimming and piano. She was part of a bowling league on Tuesday mornings and spent many Sunday afternoons in the winter bowling with her family. In the Spring and Summer, she played very bad golf with the family, and, of course, she loved traveling in the fall with the family to Tuscaloosa to stay at Aunt Martha’s and go to Alabama football games.
She also found one of her passions during this time—gardening. When her children were young, Betty joined the Cedar’s Garden Club attending monthly meetings and making friends that would last a lifetime. Eventually she became involved in the Federated Garden Clubs of Madison County, The Garden Club of Alabama, and the Deep South Garden Clubs. She served as an officer in all these eventually serving as President of The Garden Club of Alabama and chairing the annual Deep South Garden Clubs convention. For many years she chaired the annual “Every Light a Prayer for Peace” celebration for the Federated Garden Clubs of Madison County. She regularly participated in flower shows winning many blue ribbons for her arrangements. She worked hard to become a flower show judge and just recently achieved her goal becoming a Master Judge.
Once the kids graduated from high school, Betty became President of Research South and worked with her husband in business for many years. She also loved and supported her grandchildren dropping everything at a moment’s notice to help care for them when needed starting the cycle of caring for her family all over again, chauffeuring grandchildren to baseball, taekwondo, piano and volleyball.
Another of her favorite things was travelling. She was blessed to be able to visit Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, Panama, and many European countries including France, England, Italy, and Germany. However, her preferred destination was always Panama City Beach, Florida because as she always said, “They have the prettiest beaches in the world.” She loved taking her entire family to the beach to play in the sand, jump the waves and play games at the arcade.
Nothing much changed for Betty in her later years. She continued to travel, attended Garden club and flower show events and Alabama football games. But her greatest joy was spending time with her family. She was blessed to see all her grandchildren graduate from high school and head to college. She was also able to play with her great grandsons who brought her so much joy.
The visitation will be Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, from 11am -12 pm with the service beginning at 12 pm at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 12901 Bailey Cove Road SE, Huntsville, AL. Burial will be at Hampton Cove Cemetery, Owens Crossroads, Alabama. The officiants will be Rev. Todd Henderson and Charles W. Stewart. Pall Bearers will be Kevin Spradley (Nephew), Jon Cummings (Nephew-in-law), Russell Spradley, Davis Spradley, Justin Cummings, William Caballero, and Jackson Caballero (Great Nephews). Honorary Pall Bearers are William Greenleaf (Brother-in-Law) and Harold Justice (Life-long Friend).
