Nancy Rathell McCain

Nancy Rathell McCain, age 94 years old, passed away on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at Hospice of West Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

A private burial at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park will precede a memorial service at 3:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, January 18, 2026, with Rev. Michael Bailey and Rev. Lou Ann Sellers officiating. Visitation will follow the service in the Faucett Family Life Center at the church.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Charles Rodgers McCain, in 2001; her parents, Ernest Franklin Rathell and Maude Mangum Rathell of Lexington, MS; a brother, Ernest Franklin Rathell, Jr. of Lexington, MS; a sister Beth Rathell McCullen (Dan) of Jackson, MS; and a daughter-in-law, Patricia Wynn McCain, of Arlington, TX. Survivors include her three children: Paul Mangum McCain of Arlington, TX; Nancy Elizabeth (Beth) Smith (Tommy) of Tuscaloosa, AL and Susan Rathell McCain (Geoffrey) of Tuscaloosa, AL. Nancy was most proud of her six grandchildren, located in different cities throughout the U.S., and five great- grandchildren who named her GGMama and Fancy Nancy. Many nieces and nephews were also dear to her heart.

Nancy graduated from Lexington High School in 1949 and, in 1953, she earned degrees in English and Business from Belhaven College in Jackson, MS. On July 29, 1953, she married her husband and they started their life together in Canton, MS, where he served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church until a move with family to LaGrange, GA in 1958. The family moved to Tuscaloosa, AL in 1969 where Dr. McCain spent nineteen years as pastor serving the First Presbyterian Church until his retirement in 1988.

Nancy had many interests in life besides her passions for gardening and growing flowers. Yet her primary focus in life was to help her husband in his work at First Presbyterian Church where she wore many hats. In addition, she was active in the community volunteering for Meals on Wheels, serving at the Community Soup Bowl, participating in the American Association of University Women, and a member of the Board of Tuscaloosa International Friends. She was also an active member of Astra Study Club for over forty years.

Her family expresses their deepest appreciation for the love, devotion and gentle care that she received from her special caregivers Phyllis Walker, Jackie Saxton, Lillian James, Queen Burrell and Bettie Stinson. The family also extends their gratitude to the doctors and staff at Hospice of West Alabama, as well as to Dr. Gene Alldredge.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to any of the following: the McCain Endowment Fund at First Presbyterian Church, 900 Greensboro Ave., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, or Presbyterian Home for Children, P.O. Box 577, Talladega, AL 35161, or Hospice of West Alabama, 3851 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404.