Obituary of Harold Childree

Mr. Thomas Harold Childree, Sr., a resident of Ozark, died Sunday, February 24, 2019, in Dale Medical Center. He was eighty-six years old.

Funeral services will be 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, February 27, 2019, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home in Ozark with Pastor Greg Doss officiating. Interment will follow in Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery, Holman Funeral Home and Cremations of Ozark directing.  The family will receive friends Wednesday at the funeral home in Ozark from 9:00 A.M. until service time. 

Harold was born March 14, 1932 in the Arguta Community of Ozark, Alabama to the late R. A. Childree and Alice Belle Langford Childree. He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. Beginning at a young age he loved cars, mostly Fords.  He could rebuild an engine in his sleep and he passed on that interest to his sons.  He supported his young family by selling insurance for many years, then later he and his wife, JoAnn, owned Dale Carpet Cleaners until retiring.  In 2004, at the age of 72, he started sketching from memory the little tenant house in Arguta where he was born.  This began a ten-year passion of sketching to preserve his family’s past and that he did with more than 150 sketches of memories from his past. (Instagram h.rhoda001) He soon began putting Bible verses on his drawings and giving them away as part of his desire to inspire others to read the Bible. He referred to himself as a self-taught amateur sketch artist for the Lord. In the last several years, he shifted to writing Bible verses on rocks and handing them out to anyone he came in contact with. It’s been told that his rocks have made it across ponds.  He also had a love for sorting through pennies, keeping the wheats back and years that meant something to him.  The staff at BB&T and PeoplesSouth Bank in Ozark were always so gracious during his weekly penny runs.  He lived for the Lord and loved his family.  He loved life and people and was not afraid to tell them that he loved them. Other things that excited him included witnessing to people, Nascar, Alabama football, Fox News, Jimmy Swaggart, feeding the birds, and the daily paper.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Thomas H. Childree, Jr., and two brothers, Billy Childree and Charles Childree (Missing).

Survivors include his wife JoAnn Carroll Childree of Ozark; one daughter, Rhoda Childree Hall (Jerel) of Ozark; one son, Retired Navy Master Chief Mark Childree, Sr. (Lori) of Enterprise; three brothers, J. D. Childree, Donald R. Childree, and Larry O. Childree (Betty) all of Ozark; two sisters, Mary Nell Atkins of Dothan and Sara Jean Bowman (Billy Wayne) of Ozark; one sister-in-law, Mary Lou Childree; six grandchildren, Markham Childree, Holly Childree, Gordon Hall (Libby), Matthew Lance Childree, Hope Smith (Eric), Matthew Drake Childree (Jordan); four great grandchildren, Jocelyn, Ruby, Adalyn, and Bowen. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HolmanFuneralHome.com