Jean Cantrell Herndon passed away on November 8, 2015 at her home. She was born to James Randle Cantrell and Joephelia Sugg Cantrell on September 3, 1929, in Hatley, Mississippi. Jean graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1947 and received a B.S. degree in Education from Mississippi State University in 1951 and a M.S. degree in Reading from Alabama A&M University in 1981. She and Ralph Homan Herndon married on October 22, 1948 and applied Ralph’s first degree in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on the Herndon family farm for ten years. Ralph returned to Mississippi State for a second degree, Mechanical Engineering, and joined NASA’s engineers in Huntsville during the exciting 1960’s when the country was reaching for the moon. Jean was a school teacher for a total of thirty-two years. She taught high school English at Okolona High School in Mississippi for three years and elementary grades for twenty-nine years with the Huntsville City School System. Twenty-eight of those years were spent teaching at Highlands Elementary School. Her hobbies were writing, both prose and poetry, and china painting. She was a member of the Hunt’s Spring Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and for over forty years a member of Highlands Baptist Church where she and Ralph enjoyed working with its youth. In recent years Jean has been a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Monrovia. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph, her parents James Randle and Joephelia Cantrell, and a brother Joe Randle Cantrell, M.D. and wife Josephine of Washington, D.C. Survivors include her daughters Eleanor Wilson and husband Dennis; Dr. Jennifer Vinson; Catherine Davis and husband Louie; grandchildren, Melissa Wilson Kimball and husband Nathan, Matthew Wilson; Bailey Vinson, Taylor Vinson and wife Amy; Daniel Davis and wife Julie; and seven great-grandchildren, Micah, Ethan and Eliana Kimball; Rowe, Anna and Abby Vinson; and Victoria Davis. Visitation will be at Mt. Zion Baptist Church from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 with services following at 2:00 p.m. Dr. Ron Madison, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Huntsville Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Mt. Zion Baptist Church Building Fund or a charity of one’s choice. Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.
