Harsel Loe Durham

Services to celebrate and honor the life of Mr. Harsel Loe Edward Durham, WWII US Naval Veteran, will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Anniston Memorial Funeral Home. Rev. Jerry Johnson will be officiating the service. The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Mr. Durham will be laid to rest in Forestlawn Gardens, beside his beloved wife of 72 years, Celestine Daniel Durham. Military honors will preside at the graveside.

Mr. Durham, 104 years of age, gained his eternal reward, meeting his Lord and Savior face to face, on Monday, January 12, 2026.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Ernest Durham and Bertha Lou Calendar Thorn Durham; his wife, Celestine Daniel Durham; his great-grandson, Layton River Ellison; his brother, Basil Durham; and his sons-in-law, David Roesler and Jerry Hardegree.

Left to cherish the memory of Mr. Durham include his two daughters, Dianne Roesler and Trudy Hardegree; five grandchildren, Miranda Bryant, Lynda Bryant Dean (Jimmy), Emily Lumpkin (Matthew), Paul Ellison (Amy), and Daniel Ellison; six great-grandchildren, Erin, Meghan, Jesslyn, Victoria, Emma Grace, and Matty; his brother, Nathan Durham; and several nieces and nephews.

Those serving as pallbearers for Mr. Durham will be Matthew Lumpkin, Zach Welch, Jimmy Dean, Matthew Wade, Archie Durham, and John Durham.

Mr. Durham was a faithful member of Trinity Baptist Church in Oxford. He served his country during WWII on the USS Richmond, a light cruiser in the Northern Pacific. Mr. Durham retired after 27 years as a Radio Dispatcher with the Alabama State Troopers, a career he truly enjoyed and excelled in. He attributed his longevity in life to reading his Bible every day. Mr. Durham was a quiet man, but very wise and honorable. He didn't complain and let his adored wife do most of the talking. Mr. Durham will be remembered for how he led his family without reservation in the faith of Jesus Christ and the exemplary love he bestowed upon them daily.

The family wishes to extend their sincerest gratitude towards Kelly Simpson and Carrie Woodward, for the devoted and unwavering care they have provided to Mr. Durham over the last several years.