Obituary of Melba Ann Earnest

Funeral services for Melba Ann Earnest, age 75, of Roanoke will be held on Sunday, May 24, 2105, at 4:00 PM from Benefield Funeral Chapel with Rev. Keith Benefield officiating. Burial will follow at Rock Springs Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 5:00-8:00 PM on Saturday, May 23, 2015. Mrs. Earnest passed away at Lafayette Nursing Home in Lafayette, Alabama. Survivors include: two daughters, Janie Blackmon and Ann Sheats, both of Roanoke; one son, Robbie Earnest of Roanoke; ten grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; one sister, Nina Smith of Belton, TX; and four brothers, Neal Deason of Decatur, AL, Marvin Deason of Newnan, GA; Dennis Deason of Wedowee, and Johnny Deason of Roanoke. Pallbearers will be David Sudduth, D.J. Sudduth, Caleb Dabbs, Jimmy Harmon, Jason Harmon, and Anthony Bozeman. An Albertville, Alabama native, Mrs. Earnest was born on April 3, 1940, the daughter of Pete and Mary Reaves Deason. She was Baptist by faith and worked for Pizza Hut. Mrs. Earnest was preceded in death by her parents; one daughter, Marie Noles; two grandsons, Kyle Blackmon and Cody Bozeman; one sister, Vera Baker; and four brothers, Ralph, Jimmy, Wayne, and Ellis Deason.