December 4, 1952 ~ May 30, 2026 (age 73)
Melba Dean Clanton was born in Grove Hill, Alabama on December 4, 1952, to Maybon and Ruth Clanton. She grew up the middle child of three girls and somewhere in the middle of a slew of cousins, all of whom she loved tremendously! She attended Clarke County High School, where she met Terry, her high school sweetheart who would shortly become her husband of 51 years.
She graduated high school in 1971 at which time her best friend, Jadda Becton informed her that she was going to attend college with her in the fall. And she did. She became the first in her family to go to college and she graduated from Auburn University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Education degree. She would go on to teach for the next 26 years, most of those years as a kindergarten teacher. (Beloved by all she taught, to this day her family continues to hear from her former students and parents of students expressing how much she meant to them as a teacher.) After graduating from Auburn, Terry returned from his first overseas deployment with the US Navy and they were married in Grove Hill, Alabama on September 8, 1974. They immediately moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Terry was stationed. It was during his second deployment that she moved back home. When he returned, they moved back to Auburn where she taught school at Smiths Station Elementary School and eventually in February of 1980, they welcomed their first-born child, Jeremy Wayne Woodall. A short 1 year and 2 days later, they were living In Monroeville, Alabama when they welcomed their second child, Elizabeth Faye Woodall. Monroeville is where they would spend the next 20 years, raising their children, living close to family, attending First United Methodists Church, and making countless memories.
Among her closest friends were the women she taught school with which made her retirement in December 2001 very bittersweet. Her next chapter began immediately upon retirement when she and Terry moved to Loachapoka, Alabama, a short 5 miles from her favorite place on earth, Auburn! The next 15 years would be very precious years; they welcomed one grandchild after another and enjoyed countless days, holidays, tailgates, and football games with family and friends. She loved a house full of her people, especially if it revolved around SEC football. It was when she was her happiest. When her health was noticeably declining, she and Terry moved into Auburn where she was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Her remaining years would prove to be the most devastating. Even still, Terry honored her every single day with his unwavering love and commitment.
To say that Melba was a special lady is quite the understatement. She was quiet and strong. She was stubborn and soft. She meant business and she played. She was stern and warm, comfort and security. She never wavered in her principles and always stood for what was right. She gave selflessly but also reminded us that “No.” was a complete sentence. She loved music and instilled the same in her children. She played the piano beautifully but would rather do almost anything than play in front of people. She, however, loved dancing and she didn’t care who was watching. She danced until the end and we have no doubt that she still is.
Melba is preceded in death by her father, Maybon Gordon Clanton; her mother, Ruth Dunagan Clanton; her granddaughter, Andie Virginia Shannon; and two very special brothers-in-law, Steve Cornell Bumpers (Linda) and John Edward Estes, Sr. (Faye). She is survived by her husband, Terry Wayne Woodall of Auburn, Alabama; two children, Jeremy Wayne Woodall (Holly) of Springville, Alabama and Elizabeth Woodall Shannon (JM) of Auburn, Alabama; eight grandchildren Kaleb (Kierstyn), Layne, Catherine, Joe, Clanton, Pete, Maybon, and Billy. She is also survived by two sisters, Linda Clanton Bumpers of Grove Hill, Alabama and Sonia Clanton Kidd of Brentwood, Tennessee; her brother-in-law, Robert Brown “Brownie” Woodall (Gina) of Andalusia, two sisters-in-law, Ann Woodall Pridgen (Joe) and Faye Woodall Estes, both of Monroeville, Alabama ; several nieces and nephews who were all VERY special to her; John Estes, Jr. (Kathy), Kamie Bumpers Gates, Chancy Pridgen Smith (Jonathon), Maggie Bumpers Garrick (Jason), Jody Pridgen (Adrienne), Jami Sheffield Kaplan (Michael), Mark Sheffield, Ashley Woodall Hanson (Chris), Rebecca Estes, Rachael Estes, Robert Woodall, Jr. (Hannah), and Meg Sheffield Collins (Jordan)
Celebration of Life Saturday, June 6, 2:00pm at Auburn First Baptist Church in Auburn, Alabama. Celebration will continue for family and friends immediately following service in the fellowship hall.
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