Willie Max McCool

Willie Max McCool, 91, loving husband, father, and Papa, passed away unexpectedly on December 27, 2024. He was born to Willie Lee and Abbie Estelle McCool on December 4, 1933, in Fayette, Alabama, the youngest of seven children. Working with his father and grandfather as a child, Max developed a work ethic that would persevere throughout his entire life. During that time and his time in the U.S. Navy, he learned a range of skills that proved him to be a hard worker and skilled craftsman. Max spent his childhood farming, doing carpentry work, constructing fences, hunting, fishing, raising livestock, etc. In 1952, Max joined the United States Navy, where he served on Aircraft Carriers – The USS Valley Forge and the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a Machinist Mate. He served four years active duty with an honorable discharge and 17 years in the U. S. Naval Reserve. Max retired at the rank of Petty Officer First Class. Max started a career with Jefferson County Roads and Transportation as a truck driver in the early 1960’s and advanced through the ranks before he retired in the mid 1990’s. During that time, he made many friends and gained much knowledge concerning roads and drainage and he developed good rapport with his coworkers and residents across Jefferson County. After retirement, Max developed a desire for reading, gardening, walking and landscaping. He was a simple man with a lot of projects to keep him busy. Max was a long-time member of Enon Baptist Church where he served as a Sunday School Teacher and on several committees. He also served several years with the Morris Volunteer Fire Department. Often, Max was seen on the streets of Morris, leisurely driving his 1949 Ford Pick Up Truck, which he inherited from his grandfather. He carries a lot of history with the truck, as it was the first vehicle he learned to drive. His sons, Tim and Jim, share the same story. Max had one grandson, C.J. McCool who will soon learn to drive papa’s truck. Although he’s driving already, he will carry on this legacy. Max is survived by his wife of 68 years, Patricia (Pat) Crawford McCool, two sons, Timothy Lee McCool and James (Jim) Patrick McCool (Bebe), grandson, Cameron James (C.J.) McCool, brother Thomas Eugene McCool (Joyce), nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. He is predeceased by his mother and father, his sisters, Avie Lou Abernathy, Mary Lee Johnson, and Alene Worth, his brothers Albert Roland McCool and J. D. McCool. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations to either the Alzheimer’s Association, https://act.alz.org>donate or Enon Baptist Church Building Fund at https://enonbc.churchcenter.com/giving. Be sure to select Building Fund. Funeral services will be Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Enon Baptist Church. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Interment with military honors will follow in Morris Cemetery.

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Willie Max McCool

December 4, 1933 - December 27, 2024