Allene Myrick

by Lynn McMillen
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Mary Allene Myrick If the doors to her church were open, Allene Myrick could be found sitting in the pew.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. She enjoyed mingling whenever she could, dashing from person to person, member to visitor, chatting with old friends and sitting down beside new ones. She loved being in the Lord’s House, studying His Word and being amongst His People. Even as she aged, when she could not hear one whit of what was being said or sung, Allene was there, basking in the Spirit of the Lord.

On October 2, 2022, Jesus called this amazingly sweet and good-hearted woman home. She was 79. Greeting her in Heaven were her parents, Allen and Arrie Mae Handley, her brother, Jesse Raymond “Bear” Handley, and her brother-in-law, James “Jimmy” Myrick.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Arthur John “A.J.” Myrick, of Muscle Shoals, AL; her daughter, Cheryl (Charles) Milligan, of Florence, AL; her niece, Jessica (Brian) Nivens, and great-niece and “Buddy,” Sophia Nivens, of Kennesaw, GA; her sister-in-law, Diane Handley, of Atlanta, GA; her brother- and sister-in-law, Billy and Linda Myrick, of Sheffield, AL; her nephews, David (Wendy) Myrick, Phillip (Lisa) Myrick, and Steven (Rachael) Myrick, as well as lifelong friends and extended family members. She is also survived by four grand dogs: Olim, Gracie, Milo and Butter.

Please visit morrisonfuneralhomes.com to leave tributes and condolences for the family.

Visitation will be noon on Wednesday, October 5, at Victory Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals. Services will start at 2:00 pm followed by burial at Bethlehem Baptist Cemetery in Russellville, AL. Bro. Billy Myrick will officiate with music by Mac Milligan. Members of Victory Baptist Church will serve as pallbearers.

The family asks that donations be made in Allene’s memory to the Victory Baptist Church Building Fund, 3407 Oakland Avenue, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661.

Mary Allene Handley Myrick, of Muscle Shoals, was born January 12, 1943, in the bend of the river. She spent her childhood picking cotton, but it was in Evergreen Baptist Church in Florence that she found her joy. She and her brother, Bear, began singing in a gospel quartet there, and Allene would continue those family harmonies when she got married, forming a gospel trio with Bear and her husband, A.J.

One of their favorites to sing was “Thank God for My Christian Home.” Allene lived every word of that song. She built that Christian home she sang about, and her life was one of tireless dedication to her family and Jesus Christ.
She never missed a family member’s birthday. She never missed a school trip or event while Cheryl was growing up. She never missed the chance to do for others, provide a ride, or lend a listening ear. And she never missed church, unless she was too sick to go – or somebody else was. She gave so freely of herself and her time, and she never had an unkind word to say about anyone.

Whether she was helping A.J. tape up cars in a body shop, shelling beans and prepping field corn, or cooking in the cafeteria, you would not find a woman who worked harder. For many of the 25 years she was the “lunchroom lady” in the Muscle Shoals School System, she got up at 3:30 am to make breakfast for students. And, if you went through her lunch line, well, you got a meal, even if you owed money already. That was probably the one area of her life where Allene Myrick bent the rules.

According to A.J. and Cheryl, “She was the best part of us,” and, while she will be missed in her pew here on earth, today, in Heaven, Allene Myrick is whole and rejoicing in the best of all church services: the one in the Presence of the Lord. It is one she would never want to leave.
And she doesn’t have to.

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