Dean Stanley Woodall, 93, peacefully passed away on June 7, 2023, at Highlands Health and Rehab in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Born in Huntsville, Alabama, on Sept. 11, 1929, Dean came into the world four minutes before her twin sister, Jean. The Jackson County Sentinel, in its Sept. 16, 1936, edition, announced the arrival of the young twins to Scottsboro, just in time to start first grade. Accompanied by their mother, they joined their father, who had accepted the position of pharmacist at W.H. Payne Drug Store.
A few short years later, Dean’s father purchased the business and she worked many hours behind the soda fountain, skillfully dipping ice cream, making sandwiches and preparing Payne’s famous red slaw. She served meals to customers in their cars parked outside the store, and she rode her bike around town, delivering prescriptions and ice cream to people’s homes.
Dean told wonderful stories of life on the square during those years. Most memorable were pranks
played between Hodges Drug Store and Payne’s. Once a local boy was sent into a crowded Payne’s to loudly announce that the ice cream was made of something unsavory. So, the Payne’s team promptly scooped the young lad an extra-large cone and sent him happily back across the square, enjoying his free treat.
Selected as valedictorian of her class at Jackson County High School, Dean went on to study at
Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. She married Brooks Woodall, who also worked at
Payne’s, after he served in World War II and graduated from pharmacy school. The couple later
purchased the business from Dean’s father. She worked at Payne’s for a total of 60 years, the most of any employee in the 154-year-old business.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dean was President of the Brownwood Elementary School PTA. During her tenure, she was particularly interested in expanding opportunities for special-needs kids. She often arranged and chaperoned field trips to plays, amusement parks and other fun places for the students.
As a long-time devoted member of the First United Methodist Church in Scottsboro, Dean actively
served on many committees. However, her favorite responsibilities involved overseeing the nursery and participating in the altar guild. Dean was a great cook, an expert seamstress, an avid reader and a serious bridge player. She cherished her close-knit circle of lifelong friends in Scottsboro, with whom she hosted legendary parties at the country club, shopped for the juiciest Sand Mountain tomatoes at the farmers market and cheered for the Scottsboro Wildcats, even on the chilliest autumn evenings at Trammell Stadium.
Dean is survived by her son, Stanley Woodall (Vestavia Hills, AL), and her daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Tom McMahon (Arlington, VA). She is preceded in death by her husband, Brooks Woodall, her son Brian Woodall, her parents, Dr. and Mrs. W. D. Stanley, and her twin sister, Jean Stanley Glass.
If you are inclined, donations may be made in remembrance of Dean to the Scottsboro First United
Methodist Church General Fund (1105 South Broad Street, Scottsboro, AL 35768) or Nourish One Child (P.O. Box 925, Scottsboro, AL 35768).
The family wishes to thank all past and present employees of Highlands Health and Rehab for the
wonderful care and friendship they provided to Dean and the entire family.
Visitation for Dean Stanley Woodall will be from 1:00 – 2:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church in Scottsboro, Al which is located at 1105 South Broad Street. The service will be at 2:30 PM also at the First United Methodist Church in Scottsboro, Al located at 1105 South Broad Street. The burial will immediately follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery located at 210 South Cedar Hill Drive.
Arrangements Entrusted to Scottsboro Funeral Home
