Mose Reed Kirkland, Jr. was born in Birmingham, AL. in 1922. His mother died when he was 5 years old. He attended early grammar school in Birmingham, and later went to live for several years with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Tesseneer (Geneva) in Littleville, AL, and attended school there. He later attended Ramsey High School in Birmingham, and Murray High School in Murray, Ky. When WWII came along, he entered Marine Engineering School, Brooklyn, NY, and received an appointment to U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, Long Island, NY, as Engineering Cadet Midshipman. He served aboard the S.S. Joshua W. Alexander and S.S. Exceller, New York and in the eastern theater. He was assigned to the Army Transportation Corp. Water Division, in charge of maintenance, operation and engineering personnel, Suffages Annex. London England, returned to New York in December 1945, and was released from active duty.
Reed (known as “Mose” at TVA) worked for TVA for over 37 years in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, retiring in 1983 as head of the Transmission Group in Chattanooga, TN. Reed was a member and deacon of First Baptist Church, Tuscumbia, AL. He loved his family very much and will be greatly missed by them and his friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Mose Reed Kirkland, Sr., his mother, Willie Jordan Kirkland, and brother, Durwood Kyle Kirkland.
He is survivied by his wife, Mildred Louise Popwell Kirkland, sons, Mike Kirkland (Gina) of Raleigh, NC, David Kirkland (Mimi) of Madison, AL, daughter Debbie Thomas, Fitzgerald, GA, 8 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Home, Tuscumbia. The funeral service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Tuscumbia and will lie in state from 12-1 p.m. at the church. Bro. Barrett Long is officiating with the burial following at Colbert Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Earl Dean Thomason, Tom McCormick, Michael David Kirkland, Jerry Wages, Brudgie Davis and John Ellett. Honorary pallbearers are John McCollum, Theo Hannah, Bryce Tidmore, Dr. John Mims and Jimmy Merriman.
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