Alva Alldread

On Sept 30, 1925, a child was born to the Cross family. Alva Mae Cross was the oldest of 8 siblings, and she definitely adapted to being the oldest and the most in charge. She attended school in French Camp and eventually graduated from Winona High School. Alva Mae went on to marry Jim Alldread and added to her siblings by taking on all of her new husband’s family. 

Alva Mae and Jim spent time in Winona, where Alva Mae was a switchboard operator for the telephone company. A few years after marriage, the couple relocated to Greenwood, where Alva Mae was shortened to Ms Alva as she took on her new role at the City of Greenwood and Greenwood Utilities department. 

In December of 1947, they welcomed a daughter, Lynda Carol. And Alva became known as Mother. While working and raising their daughter, the Alldreads could be found on Friday night feeding their daughter's school marching band, the famous chicken burgers, which, by the way, I still don’t have the recipe for, or teaching Sunday school at First Baptist Church, Greenwood. She was also a member of the Greenwood Garden Club and Altrusa International. Grandchildren came, and Meme became her new title. Alva decided after 35 years at the utility department, she had named all the streets in Greenwood she could name, and she would retire to stay home and spend time with her grandchildren and with her hobbies like crocheting or gardening, but as we all know, she couldn’t sit still long. She was made to work, and she went to work for MS Valley Gas, now Atmos, as the customer service supervisor, where she stayed 15 years until she could draw a second retirement.

 While she and Jim worked all week, they still would go back to Winona on the weekends to work the garden at the Alldread place. There was no better feeling than standing in the big metal wash pan with a block of ice and water while soaking the corn from the garden. That was about the deepest water we ever saw here because she never learned to swim. After Jim passed away and she retired a second time, she spent time with family and friends traveling. Whether it was with Dan and Lynda to Mountain View or on a MS Baptist group bus tour of the USA, she kept busy. In 2006, she welcomed her only great-grandchild, and in 2008, when she moved to Indywood, she got a new title. She became a Meme in the Apartment. During her time at Indywood, she became a familiar face to all the families, enjoying bingo, puzzles, devotion time, and always being ready for Dan and the music guys to come play. She even earned the title of being the longest resident. 

In the last several years, she has had several very special sitters, Bessie, Caroline, Jessie, and Shirley Alva Mae Cross Alldread was known by many different names, and each one of those names tells a story of who she is and how she helped shape her family, extended family, and community. She is survived by her daughter, Lynda Carol Alldread Bell, and husband, Dan. Her grandson, Derek Sims, her granddaughter Katie Ballard, her husband Jamey, and her great-grandson, Chip Ballard

A private family graveside service was held at Oakwood Cemetery in Winona, Mississippi. 

Cleveland Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.