Willie Mae Fannin

Mae Hudson Fannin, 91, a resident of Lapine, Alabama, passed away peacefully at Troy Health & Rehabilitation on Thursday, November 20th, 2025. A graveside service for Mae will be held at 11 AM on Monday, November 24th, in Forest Hills Memorial Park with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. Family and friends will meet in the cemetery on Monday at the service time.

Mae started her working career at Gayfers and then continued on with them when they became Dillards. She was a brilliant saleswoman within their clothing department because she was truly in her element there. She loved both her customers and co-workers throughout her 20 years there. At home, she thoroughly enjoyed tending to her beautiful garden as she lovingly nurtured a backyard so full of gorgeous flowers it could have been plucked straight out of House & Garden!

Mae's outward beauty was the velvet wrapping around an inner core of steel that had been forged through a life full of hardship, trials, and tribulations. She truly became a force to be reckoned with over the years which allowed her to survive nine decades of all the sling and arrows life could throw at her without ever letting them break her. Her husband Bill was the love of her life and they truly cherished their "girls," but her heart and soul was the little grandson who came along and called her Granny. Let me tell you, that precious little boy wormed his way into her heart like no one else and every moment she was able to spend with him was a treasured memory that Cody will continue to carry with him for the rest of his life.

Mae was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 63 years, Bill Fannin; infant daughter, Rebecca Ann; and parents, William Wade & Nora Mae Dees Hudson. She is survived by her daughters, Rose Mary Fannin Holder & Katherine (Robert) Russell; grandson & granddaughter-in-law, Cody & Jacquelyn Russell; and her first great-grandchild due to make their arrival in just a few months.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the nurses and CNAs at Troy Health & Rehabilitation as well as Jordan with Compassus Hospice for all they did for Mae and the family.