Judge George M. Ingram

Funeral services for Judge George M. Ingram, 70, of Ashland, will be held Saturday, July 31, 2010, at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Ashland with the Rev. Melinda Weaver and Dr. Joe M. Allen Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in Ashland City Cemetery. Judge Ingram passed away Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at his residence after a battle with pancreatic cancer. George M. Ingram was born, raised, and lived most of his life in Ashland, Alabama. He was a graduate of Clay County High School and Auburn University. He married Patsy West and had three children, Clay, Wendy, and Maury. After living and working for several years out of the county, he returned to Ashland to open the Jiffy Mart, the first convenience store in Clay County. In 1984, he became a court administrator for Jefferson County and worked in Birmingham until he was elected as Probate Judge for Clay County in 1994. For 15 years, George proudly served the longest term as Probate Judge in Clay County, the same position his grandfather held 100 years earlier. He served as Treasurer and Secretary of the Alabama Probate Judges Association as well as being appointed by the Alabama Secretary of State to the U. S. Election Assistance Commission Standards Boards to represent Alabama. Judge Ingram was preceded in death by his parents, Earnest Frank Ingram and Alta Allen Ingram. Judge Ingram is survived by his wife of 49 years, Patsy Ingram, of Ashland; one daughter, Wendy Hendrix (Gregg), of Lexington, S.C.; two sons, Clay Ingram (Katie), of Birmingham and Maury Ingram, of Atlanta; one sister, Alta Mary Sanders (Dr. Bill), of Prattville; two brothers, Earnest Ingram (Evelyn), of Lineville, and Kenneth Ingram, of Ashland; and five grandchildren, Jake Ingram, Zack Ingram, Grant Hendrix, Sarah Hendrix and Claire Hendrix. Serving as pallbearers for Judge Ingram will be Miles Mathis, Tommy Hudson, Bobby R. Trammell, Billy Atkinson, Cleve Pace, Donald White, Bill Sanders Jr., Kirk Sanders and Andrew Sanders. Honorary pallbearers will be Clay County Probate Judge Office Employees, Probate Judges' Association, Ken Burroughs, Jim McClellan, Eric Horn, Franklin Horn, Dick Nolen Dr. George L. Beale, John Wheeles, Mike Wheeles, Kris Herron, Garey Reynolds, Walt Endress, Johnny Rochester, Ronald Roberson, Jeff Colburn, and Bruce Elliott. The family will receive friends at the funeral home this evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 1270, Ashland, AL 36251 or DHR Christmas Toy Drive, P. O. Box 940, Ashland, AL 36251. Clay County Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.