On May 5, 2026, at age 84, Glenda passed away in her sleep from complications due to dementia. She was born on May 15, 1941, in Hickory, Catawba County, NC, to Gerald Glenn Whisenant and his wife, Lois Marie Wilson (both deceased). When the draft for World War II was initiated, the family moved back to their traditional homesteads in Marshall and Morgan Counties. After peace was declared, the family moved into the City of Huntsville.
While living in Huntsville, Glenda attended 5th Avenue School, Huntsville Jr. High, and in 1959 graduated from Huntsville High School. In 1960-1962, she attended the two-year secretarial course at Florence State College (now UNA). Most of her work career was in public agencies, and she retired after 26 years from the AL Department of Human Resources in Madison County.
She loved all children and enjoyed conducting Sunday School classes at the churches she attended. This began at Southside Baptist Church and ended, due to poor health, at St. Charles Anglican Church.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Richard Allen Smallwood, Sr., along with her two sisters, Susan Marie Brown (Frank) and Rosemary Rogers, both of Huntsville. She is also survived by her two sons, Michael Thomas Drinkard and Stephen Glenn Drinkard (Donna), along with her two grandsons, Nicholas Wade and Nathaniel Michael Drinkard. She is further survived by her stepdaughter, Catherine Anne Morrow, of Arab; one stepson, Richard Allen Smallwood, Jr.; and, lastly, her beloved step-granddaughter, Margaret “Maggie” Carmen Dyer (Sean); along with many, many cousins.
The family offers special thanks to the hardworking staff and personnel of Compassus Hospice, who were of great help to the family by addressing the problems associated with Glenda’s dementia.
Visitation will be held at Laughlin Service Funeral Home on Saturday, May 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a private graveside service held on Monday, May 11, at Maple Hill Cemetery, Fr. R. Byron Purves officiating.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to support research efforts to find paths for the prevention and treatment of dementia.
