Dorothy Mae Springer Carmichael, 87, passed away peacefully at home in Tuscumbia on Friday, Aug. 9, 2013. Her daughter, Connie, was by her side.
Visitation will be held from noon-2 p.m. today in the parlor of the First United Methodist Church in Tuscumbia. A funeral service will immediately follow at the church. Dr. David Lee and Dr. James Gardiner will officiate. Mrs. Carmichael will be laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery in Tuscumbia. Pallbearers will be Laurence Cothran Carmichael, Judson Blair Emens, Mark Lile Fennel, Howell Thomas Heflin, Macke Buchanan Mauldin and Hilard Elbert Whitlock III.
Mrs. Carmichael was born in Florence, Ala. on Oct. 10, 1925, to Maxwell Burns Springer and Lydia Elizabeth Old Springer. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Thomas Aaron Springer (Virginia and Leanora), of Phoenix, Ariz., and Kenneth Johnston Springer (Jane and Juanita), of Mobile; two sisters, Maxine Elizabeth Springer Tate (Nelson), of Florence, and Marjorie Christine Springer Ridley (Sam), of Tuscaloosa; and son, Charles (“Chuck”) Elmore Carmichael III, of Tuscumbia.
She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Charles Elmore Carmichael Jr., Tuscumbia attorney; daughter, Constance (“Connie”) Leigh Carmichael, of Tuscumbia; daughter, Dorothy Mae Carmichael Powell (Jimmy), of Greensboro, N.C.; son, William Maxwell Carmichael, of Tuscumbia; three granddaughters, Catherine Carmichael Powell Regan (Jason), of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Allison Springer Powell, of Columbia, S.C. and Marion Brooks Powell, of Columbia, S.C.; and one great-granddaughter, Caroline Carmichael Regan, of Mt. Pleasant, N.C.
Mrs. Carmichael graduated from Coffee High School in Florence, attended Florence State Teacher’s College (now University of North Alabama) and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Athens College.
She was a woman of distinction from the standpoint of both personal appearance and achievement. Mrs. Carmichael credited her many successes to the fact she was a kind, gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect. Her credo was found in First Corinthians 16:13: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, and be strong.”
Mrs. Carmichael was very active in National Democratic Politics. In 1960, she and her husband, Charlie, were the first couple to run as a Team of Delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. At that convention, she served on the prestigious Platform Committee. In 1976, she was elected Democratic National Committeewoman for the State of Alabama and served for 12 years, organizing Democratic women’s clubs around the state. Mrs. Carmichael was elected to eight national Democratic conventions. In 1979, she was elected Colbert County Tax Assessor. Mrs. Carmichael was listed in Personalities of the South, Who’s Who in American Politics and World Who’s Who in American Politics.
For 14 years, Mrs. Carmichael served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Montevallo College in Montevallo, Ala. For 25 years, she actively worked in Girl Scouting, serving on the North Alabama Girl Scout Council. She attended the First United Methodist Church in Tuscumbia, serving as a member of the Trustees Committee and as a member of the Administrative Board. Mrs. Carmichael was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, The Service League, president of the Salvation Army Auxiliary, member of the Board of Directors for the United Fund, member of the Board, Colbert County Department of Pensions and Securities, vice president, Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts and president of the Maud Lindsay Study Club.
Mrs. Carmichael enjoyed playing golf, bridge and socializing with her dear friends in “The Sewing Club” and “Les Bonnes Vivantes” Gourmet Club.
Her family wishes to thank the many kind doctors, nurses and medical staff who so ably cared for Mrs. Carmichael, especially Dr. Jerry Williams, Dr. Lynn Ridgeway, Dr. Yves Morissette, Dr. Roberta Tomsik, Benji Keeton, Dorinda Zills and Brian Clark.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Tuscumbia.
