Amanda Grace Thrasher Segrest – Obituary

by Lynn McMillen
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Amanda Grace Thrasher Segrest, 70, of Huntsville, passed away peacefully in her home Tuesday. Amanda was born in Huntsville to Dorothy Wright and Tom Goodman Thrasher.  In the 9th grade at Huntsville Junior High, Amanda met her life-long sweetheart and husband of 47 years, Mike Segrest.  After graduating from Huntsville High School in 1967, she attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia, before graduating from the University of Alabama, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

In 1972, Amanda began her distinguished 25-year career of teaching English at Grissom High School, where she soon became English Department Chairman. While teaching and raising her family, she also followed her passion for community service.  Amanda’s civic work touched many non-profits in the Huntsville area.  Her resume of volunteerism and servant leadership is extensive, chairing or serving as president of numerous boards, including:  The Grace Club of Huntsville; Junior League of Huntsville; The Arts Council; Rotary Ann; the Antiquarian Society; Kappa Huntsville Alumnae Association; and the Greater Huntsville Panhellenic Alumnae Association.

Amanda also served on the boards of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, founding and serving as the first president of Angels for Children. She then went on to serve on the Huntsville Classic Dinner & Golf Tournament Committee, the foundation’s signature event.  Together, Amanda and Mike chaired the UAH President’s Council.  She was a member of the Twickenham Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, and enjoyed several bridge clubs with friends.  She was a member of Huntsville First United Methodist Church, where she co-chaired the capital campaign, and taught Sunday school for children and adults.

Amanda’s most significant community contribution may have been her role as chair of the Junior League committee that researched, developed and launched Huntsville’s iconic city-wide arts festival, Panoply.

Survivors include her husband, James Michael Segrest; three children, Jordan Segrest Bishop (Harrison), Ellen Segrest Fortin (James), and Clay Michael Segrest (Corie); five grandchildren, Wright and Helen Bishop, Abby Fortin, and Callan and Scarlett Segrest; and her three sisters, Sherry T. Langley, Carol T. Mayo (Don), and Anne T. Swain (Al).

Visitation will be from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Sunday, February 10 at Huntsville First United Methodist Church. The funeral service will follow at 3:00 p.m. with the Rev. Coy Hallmark and the Rev. Dr. Glenn Conner officiating.  A private family burial will be immediately after the service at Maple Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dorothy Wright Thrasher and Tom Goodman Thrasher Presidential Scholarship Fund at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, 318 Shelbie King Hall, Huntsville, AL 35899 or Huntsville First United Methodist Church, 120 Greene St., Huntsville, AL 35801.

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