Mrs. Charlotte Jean Gross Owsley, age 79, of Vernon, AL, passed away Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 6:44 PM, in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Charlotte was born on January 4, 1947, in Chattanooga, TN, to the late Willard A. Gross, Sr. and Elizabeth Riley Gross. She grew up in Trussville, AL, and graduated from Trussville High School. She later attended Jacksonville State College before beginning a long career in bookkeeping and office management. Mrs. Owsley worked for many years as an office manager and bookkeeper for Sanford Oil and Gas in Vernon, Alabama.
Charlotte later married Johnny Leonard Owsley, Sr., and the two shared 52 years of marriage before his passing in 2023. They made their home in Vernon, AL where they raised their family and became a part of the Lamar County community.
Charlotte was a faithful member of the Kingville church of Christ. Her faith and her family were at the center of her life. Charlotte was a remarkably strong woman, a strength she demonstrated throughout her life and particularly through her battles with cancer. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 1987 and went on to become a two-time cancer survivor, living nearly four decades beyond that first diagnosis. She faced those challenges with courage, determination, and resilience, and her strength was an inspiration to those who knew and loved her.
More than anything, Charlotte loved her family. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, and her greatest joy came from the people she loved. Charlotte was quick to take a cake or “happy” to anyone celebrating or mourning. She took great pride in her children and grandchildren and treasured the time she spent with them. She particularly enjoyed traveling to the beach and the mountains with her grandchildren and cherished trips to the beach to spend time with her siblings, including a recent visit together.
Charlotte was preceded in death by her husband, Johnny Leonard Owsley, Sr., and her parents, Willard A. Gross, Sr. and Elizabeth Riley Gross.
Survivors include one son, Johnny (Lezlie) Owsley, Jr., of Nashville, TN; one daughter, Emily (Justin) Owsley Williams, of Tuscaloosa, AL; three grandchildren, Jack Glyien Williams, Levi Craig Owsley, and Emmaline Christine Williams; and her siblings Elizabeth G. Vickery, Christina Lynn Gross, and Willard Andrew Gross, Jr.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, August 30, at 3:00 PM, at the chapel of Chandler Funeral Home, with Phillip Tomlin and Danny Butler officiating. The family will receive friends beginning at 2:00 PM on Sunday prior to the funeral service. A private graveside gathering for the family will be held immediately following the service at Hamilton City Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Jack Glyien Williams, Mike Cole, Greg Davis, Scott Emerson, Marty Gottwald, Gavin Hutchins, Carson Lindsey, Keith Maddox, Avi Nichani, and Brad Tomlin.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either Rainbow Omega, Inc., P.O. Box 740, Eastaboga, AL 36260, or Sav-A-Life Tuscaloosa (New Day Women’s Center), 4300 AL-69, Northport, AL 35473. Donations may also be made online at rainbowomega.org or savalifetuscaloosa.org
