Alice Lovett

Alice Lovett, also known as Mama Al, age 70 of Columbia, Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at her residence after a long and hard fought battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Funeral services for Alice will be held on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. at Williams Funeral Home in Columbia with Ty Cobb and Terry Perry officiating. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at the funeral home.

Alice was born on April 21, 1945 in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee to the late Clarence Thomas Wright and the late Nell Higgins Wright. She was the sixth of nine children.

Alice attended Haylong Elementary and Haylong High School where she played basketball and was a member of several clubs. Alice played softball for the 1st Enterprise women’s softball team which her mother helped start. Alice married her high school sweetheart, Delmer Lovett on May 8, 1965 and together they had three children.

Alice continued to play softball for 25 years and then became the first female umpire in Middle Tennessee. She was also the first woman to become umpire in Chief for the Columbia ASA.
Alice worked for South Central Bell Affordable Home Improvement and she was a local bandsman for many years. Her true ambition in life was to be a police officer. She often said she was born too early to fulfill that dream. Alice was the driving force behind one of the oldest and most successful neighborhood watch groups in Columbia, the Hatcher Lane neighborhood Watch Association.

Alice is survived by her husband Delmer Lovett of Columbia, children Donna Lovett Grooms, Mary Beth Lovett and Marty Lovett all of Columbia; grandchildren Jeremy (Anna Hollis) Grooms, Jamie (Shelby) Grooms, Kaleb Dye, Alexis Lovett, and Nicholas Lovett all of Columbia; great-grandchildren Austin Grooms, Kevin Grooms, Peyton Grooms, Emma Hollis, and Maddie Hollis all of Columbia; brother Wray (Sandra) Wright of Mt. Pleasant; sisters Monie Davis of Nashville and Patty (Jim T) Hamilton of Columbia; niece’s Vicky (Steve) Hazard, Leigh Ann (Chad) Fletcher of Columbia and Debbie Gibson of Nashville; nephews Tommy (Sandra) Goetz and Cheyenne (Jennifer) McNeese of Columbia. Alice is also survived by her brothers and sisters-in-law Wayde Kelley, Ted Lovett, Sandy and Danny Wood, Carl and Cathy Lovett, Charlene and Mike Craig, and Lisa and Marty Cummins.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Tommy Wright, Larry Wright, Al Gene Wright, and Harry Wright; sister Kathy Kelley; brother-in-law Denny Davis; sisters-in-law Lilla Wright and Barbara Lovett; and her beloved nephew Deno Wright.

Pallbearers will be Scott Lovett, Brian Lovett, Greg Wood, Kevin Wood, Alan Lovett, Blake Lovett, Adam Holt, Christopher Holt, Chad Fletcher, and Brett Kelley.

Honorary pallbearers are Dr. Doug Kennedy, Alicia Legarrea and the staff at Dr. Kennedy’s office, Elysia Love, Felita Hinson, Chantelle Hamlin, Heather Hickerson, Denise Runions and the staff at Quality First Home Care, Shirley McNeece, Shane McNeece, Terry and Shaun Brewer, Joey Grooms, Sissy Isabell, Tonya Richardson, Royal Robin Dickson, Andrea and Drifter Venable, Mike and Pam Dawson, Kethy Pedrick, Callie Owen Roberts, Terry Potts, Tim Holt, Russ Parkes, Milton Hay, Jerry and Sheila Hooper, Shelia Cook, Randall Odom and the ladies at Tricia’s Hair Salon, the girls of the Wolfpack softball team, Larry, Peggy McNeece, Shirley Cummins, Sara Burroughs, Jerry and Martha McNeece, the ladies of the Enterprise softball team, Mayor Dean Dickey, Lawrence Douglas, Ruth Hill, Tammy Hill, Ellis and Machelle Secrest, Debbie and W.L. Culberson, Wayne and Sherrie Kennedy, Beatrice Baker, Barbara McIntyre, Dr. Janice Vinson, Ashley Brown, Jim Bailey, Jim Matthews, Judge Lee and Starla Bailey, Dr. Joel and Judge Stella Hargrove, the members of the Hatcher Lane Neighborhood Watch and the ladies of the Maury County Circuit Court Clerks office.

Williams Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.williamsfh.com .