Grover Braxton Laird

CMSgt Grover Braxton Laird, Retired, 91, a resident of Highland Home, Alabama, passed away peacefully in his home on Tuesday, July 9th, 2024. Funeral services for Braxton will be held at 11 AM on Friday, July 12th, at Sardis Church of Christ with Brother Steven Foster and Brother John Dickinson officiating. He will then be laid to rest in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday, July 11th, from 6 to 8 PM and Braxton will lie-in-state at the church on Friday for 30 minutes prior to the service.

Braxton was born on July 22, 1932 and later drafted into the United States Army on April 1st...which, unfortunately, was not an April Fool's Day joke! From that point forward, except for a three-year vacation in between leaving the Army and enlisting in the Air Force, he proudly spent 39 years in service to his beloved country, most of that as a training supervisor. His dedicated service earned him the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, the highest attainable for a non-commissioned officer. Upon his retirement at the age of 60, he proceeded to raise cattle, chickens, and anything else a proper farmer should grow. He was also an avid fisherman and gardener. Additionally, he was an active member of the Church of Christ for over 60 years as he firmly believed in God, Country, and Family.

He had a true love of football and spent many years cheering on his beloved Crimson Tide on the gridiron. However, he was always up for a good football game, regardless of who was playing, but he especially enjoyed seeing his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren participate in that and other sports. Braxton was an integral part in lovingly helping to build Clay Jordan Stadium at Highland Home High School. He also served on the board of trustees for the school, as well as vice president or president for the athletic association for a number of years. He also gave the same dedication to his faith and home church as he was the treasurer for Mt. Pleasant Church of Christ for several decades.

Braxton was an extremely generous man with both his time and love with his family who meant the world to him. There was nothing he would not do for them, though he also demonstrated the true love of Christ in his desire to help anyone who needed it. One of his favorite activities was seeing his friends with whom he could talk for hours on end. He never met a stranger, a fact his family could attest to as they could never seem to go anywhere on vacation that he didn't run into someone he knew. That he made that kind of impression on people he met during his lifetime speaks volumes as to the kind of man he was...a truly great one. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew and loved him so well.

Braxton was preceded in death by his wife, Maggie Lou Laird; parents, J.C. & Mittie Mae Armstrong Laird; siblings, J.W. "Bill" (Betty) Laird, Juanita (Max) Russell, and Lamar Laird; and sister-in-law, Anelia Laird. He is survived by his wife, Victoria; his sons, Larry Laird and Clinton (Michelle) Laird; grandchildren, Randi Laird Vincitore, Ricky (Mandy) Laird, Regina Laird, Mallory Laird, Hannah Laird, and Landon Laird; great-grandchildren, Hunter (Amber) Owens, Hayley Owens, Jackson Faulk, Ronni Faulk, Tyler (Sydney) Laird, Talyn Laird, Jayden Laird, Shelbylei Holley, and Janie Holley; great-great-grandchildren, Emma Jane Owens and Greyson Owens; siblings, Nolan Laird and Ina (Tom) Davis; plus a host of multiple generations of nieces and nephews, as well as extended family members and friends.

Active pallbearers will be Wesley Laird, Ricky Robertson, Aubrey Reeves, Carson Williams, Jackson Faulk, and Mike Russell.