Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
---David Moore, editor, The Arab Tribune
Reba Bates Hart of Arab died Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006, at Marshall Medical Center North.
One of eight children, Mrs. Hart was the daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates. She was born in Union Grove but spent the majority of her life in Arab. She was married to the late Clyde Hart.
She enjoyed a true love of sports all her life and was active in high school sports and independent league sports well into her 50s. Rarely did she miss viewing an Atlanta Braves game.
During the 1960s and '70s, she owned and operated a beauty salon in Arab and loved substitute teaching in the local schools, where she met many lifelong friends and touched the lives of many.
She was active behind the scenes for many years in local and state politics and served as a public registrar for Marshall County. She was a member of the Arab First United Methodist Church.
She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: Jimmy and Mary Hart, Johnny and Linda Hart and Jerry and Lisa Hart of Arab; two brothers: Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by three brothers: Raymond Bates, Hollis Bates and George Bates; two sisters: Johnnie Mae Putnam and Thedus Thompson; and a son and daughter who died shortly after birth.
Funeral services were at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006, at Arab First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Sam Huffstutler, the Rev. Mike Shirley and the Rev. Talmadge Clayton officiating. Burial was in Arab Memorial Cemetery, with Gober Funeral Chapel directing.
Pallbearers were Hollis Hart, Wes Hart, Tyler Hart, Brian Clayton, Mike Blackwood and James Townson.
Honorary pallbearers were Tommy Prestridge, Terry Robinson, Toxie Kennedy, Phil Cobb, Alex Sierra and John Walker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article from The Arab Tribune, by David Moore:
'First Lady Emeritus' Reba Hart dies Sunday
Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
She died Sunday morning after several years of declining health. Per her strict instructions to her family, her age was not made public, but the public's feelings toward her were.
Her visitation Monday at Gober Funeral Chapel was scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but at 8:15 the line of those coming to pay their respects still ran outside the door and around the building. The crowd remained until 9:30 p.m.
The daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates of Union Grove, Reba was married to Clyde Hart, who was elected mayor of Arab for a two-year term in 1956. Now deceased, he left office in 1958 when the city changed to a commission form of government.
The Harts' eldest son, Jimmy, served three terms as city commissioner from 1974 through 1983. Their second son, Johnny, was elected mayor in 1988 when the city reverted back to a mayor-council government.
Johnny Hart went on to be reelected three times, leaving office in 2002 to become director of Marshall County E-911, a position he still holds.
Reba and Clyde Hart's third son, Jerry, like the rest of the family, lives in Arab. He is the vice president of finance for Syncro.
"He was the educated one," Jimmy Hart said Monday. "Johnny was the mayor, and I was mother's 'gofer.'
Reba, the Harts' said, was always their strongest supporter and believed in public service.
"She stuck with Dad when he was in politics," Jimmy Hart said. "And she was there for us, regardless of whatever we tried to do."
In 1958, she helped her husband get elected mayor, the same year he got involved with George C. Wallace. When Wallace won his first of four gubernatorial races in 1962, Clyde Hart became his deputy state revenue commissioner, serving under Charlie Boswell for two terms.
Johnny Hart said that when their father would call George Wallace or Rep. Tom Bevill, they would ask how "Miss Reba" was. He said that later, as mayor, when he'd call state and federal officials, they, too, would ask about her.
It might have been in part because of her cooking. Once Bevill and George Wallace Jr. happened to converge on Arab on the same day while Johnny Hart was mayor. Miss Reba had baked four cakes and four pies and insisted that he bring them by to get them, some of which flew back to Washington in a plane.
Reba for 20 years kept a picture of Lurleen Wallace on her wall. Monday, Wallace Jr. was one of the many people calling to offer their condolences.
Public service
Jimmy Hart said their mother loved politics as much as their father did.
In the mid-1960s, she ran her only campaign in an attempt to be elected to the Marshall County Board of Education.
Her love of politics derived, at least in part, from her strong feelings that involvement in public service was a good thing because it put people in a position to help others, Jimmy Hart said.
"She loved people, she loved a lot of people," Johnny Hart said.
And people knew they could go to Reba to make their needs known to her husband and sons.
Johnny Hart said their mother agreed with their father's policy to do what you think is right and correct it the next morning if you were wrong.
The Harts said Reba was a hard working campaigner and was keen on making sure people who were sick or going out of town registered as absentee voters.
Jimmy Hart recalled a tough race against three opponents in 1977.
"The absentees she got kept me out of a runoff," he said.
Even when she was unable to drive, she was on the phone, calling people, urging them to vote or register. She'd give her sons names of people to take applications to.
Other sides of Reba
The Bates were among one of the core families in the Arab area before the population rocketed in the 1960s, and Reba was kin to many of the Smalleys, Cooleys, Martins and others.
Besides political clout that would later afford her, over the years her expanded family provided for a lot of interesting reunions and some of the practical jokes Reba loved, even when played on her.
Johnny Hart recalled one reunion where Rex and Jerrell Smalley put a small snake in Reba's purse.
"There was a lot of hollering going on," he said.
A great lover of sports, Reba played basketball and softball in high school and the latter in independent leagues up into her 50s. Fearless, she refused to wear a mask catching until a foul ball hit her in the nose.
She was also a great fan of the Atlanta Braves.
Johnny Hart said Reba had so much energy that she and his youngest son, Wes, once got to scuffling around, and she ended up landing a punch on his nose.
"He said, 'You better not mess with Maw-Maw, she'll pop you,'" Johnny Hart laughed.
In the '60s and '70s, Reba owned and operated a beauty shop in Arab.
The Harts also recalled how much she loved working as a substitute teacher, even though it only paid $8-$10 per day. Always wanting to please, she would take cakes and pies for the teachers and coaches whenever she went to teach, something Clyde loved to tease her about.
"He's say she spent more on the pies than she got paid subbing," Jimmy Hart said.
She never gave up
Reba Hart's health problems perhaps started 12 years ago when she had both knees replaced at the same time. The following year she broke the femur bone in her leg, and her doctor installed a rod in it.
Seven or eight years ago she had stroke, and about three years ago she dropped a can on her foot.
Jimmy Hart said he had initially checked on it, saw she could move it, and totally misdiagnosed it. It turned out to be broken.
About six weeks ago she broke her arm at the shoulder joint and, for a while, was in the nursing home for rehabilitation.
"She had her share of health problems," Jimmy Hart said. "The last 10 or 12 years had been rough on her, but she wouldn't quit."
Reba, in fact, was determined to be out and about again.
She called Jimmy Hart Friday night said she not only wanted rails installed on the back porch of her Main Street house, but she wanted him to buy her a bicycle as well.
"She was constantly figuring out things to do," he said. "She had a lot of time on hands."
"She always felt like she was 18 and she was going to play ball again," Johnny Hart laughed. "She felt the doctor would do something to make her get up and run again, that one day she would get her car and go off down the road."
Definition of a mother
Johnny Hart was attending an economic conference at Orange Beach when he learned of his mother's death Sunday.
"I cried all the way home," he said.
"If you define a mother, what she was to us boys is what a mother is," he continued. "Our father was the rock of the family, our mother was the life of the family. She was the one who put excitement in life."
In addition to her three sons, she is survived by her daughters-in-law, Mary, Linda and Lisa Hart of Arab; brothers Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
---David Moore, editor, The Arab Tribune
Reba Bates Hart of Arab died Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006, at Marshall Medical Center North.
One of eight children, Mrs. Hart was the daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates. She was born in Union Grove but spent the majority of her life in Arab. She was married to the late Clyde Hart.
She enjoyed a true love of sports all her life and was active in high school sports and independent league sports well into her 50s. Rarely did she miss viewing an Atlanta Braves game.
During the 1960s and '70s, she owned and operated a beauty salon in Arab and loved substitute teaching in the local schools, where she met many lifelong friends and touched the lives of many.
She was active behind the scenes for many years in local and state politics and served as a public registrar for Marshall County. She was a member of the Arab First United Methodist Church.
She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: Jimmy and Mary Hart, Johnny and Linda Hart and Jerry and Lisa Hart of Arab; two brothers: Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by three brothers: Raymond Bates, Hollis Bates and George Bates; two sisters: Johnnie Mae Putnam and Thedus Thompson; and a son and daughter who died shortly after birth.
Funeral services were at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006, at Arab First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Sam Huffstutler, the Rev. Mike Shirley and the Rev. Talmadge Clayton officiating. Burial was in Arab Memorial Cemetery, with Gober Funeral Chapel directing.
Pallbearers were Hollis Hart, Wes Hart, Tyler Hart, Brian Clayton, Mike Blackwood and James Townson.
Honorary pallbearers were Tommy Prestridge, Terry Robinson, Toxie Kennedy, Phil Cobb, Alex Sierra and John Walker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article from The Arab Tribune, by David Moore:
'First Lady Emeritus' Reba Hart dies Sunday
Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
She died Sunday morning after several years of declining health. Per her strict instructions to her family, her age was not made public, but the public's feelings toward her were.
Her visitation Monday at Gober Funeral Chapel was scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but at 8:15 the line of those coming to pay their respects still ran outside the door and around the building. The crowd remained until 9:30 p.m.
The daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates of Union Grove, Reba was married to Clyde Hart, who was elected mayor of Arab for a two-year term in 1956. Now deceased, he left office in 1958 when the city changed to a commission form of government.
The Harts' eldest son, Jimmy, served three terms as city commissioner from 1974 through 1983. Their second son, Johnny, was elected mayor in 1988 when the city reverted back to a mayor-council government.
Johnny Hart went on to be reelected three times, leaving office in 2002 to become director of Marshall County E-911, a position he still holds.
Reba and Clyde Hart's third son, Jerry, like the rest of the family, lives in Arab. He is the vice president of finance for Syncro.
"He was the educated one," Jimmy Hart said Monday. "Johnny was the mayor, and I was mother's 'gofer.'
Reba, the Harts' said, was always their strongest supporter and believed in public service.
"She stuck with Dad when he was in politics," Jimmy Hart said. "And she was there for us, regardless of whatever we tried to do."
In 1958, she helped her husband get elected mayor, the same year he got involved with George C. Wallace. When Wallace won his first of four gubernatorial races in 1962, Clyde Hart became his deputy state revenue commissioner, serving under Charlie Boswell for two terms.
Johnny Hart said that when their father would call George Wallace or Rep. Tom Bevill, they would ask how "Miss Reba" was. He said that later, as mayor, when he'd call state and federal officials, they, too, would ask about her.
It might have been in part because of her cooking. Once Bevill and George Wallace Jr. happened to converge on Arab on the same day while Johnny Hart was mayor. Miss Reba had baked four cakes and four pies and insisted that he bring them by to get them, some of which flew back to Washington in a plane.
Reba for 20 years kept a picture of Lurleen Wallace on her wall. Monday, Wallace Jr. was one of the many people calling to offer their condolences.
Public service
Jimmy Hart said their mother loved politics as much as their father did.
In the mid-1960s, she ran her only campaign in an attempt to be elected to the Marshall County Board of Education.
Her love of politics derived, at least in part, from her strong feelings that involvement in public service was a good thing because it put people in a position to help others, Jimmy Hart said.
"She loved people, she loved a lot of people," Johnny Hart said.
And people knew they could go to Reba to make their needs known to her husband and sons.
Johnny Hart said their mother agreed with their father's policy to do what you think is right and correct it the next morning if you were wrong.
The Harts said Reba was a hard working campaigner and was keen on making sure people who were sick or going out of town registered as absentee voters.
Jimmy Hart recalled a tough race against three opponents in 1977.
"The absentees she got kept me out of a runoff," he said.
Even when she was unable to drive, she was on the phone, calling people, urging them to vote or register. She'd give her sons names of people to take applications to.
Other sides of Reba
The Bates were among one of the core families in the Arab area before the population rocketed in the 1960s, and Reba was kin to many of the Smalleys, Cooleys, Martins and others.
Besides political clout that would later afford her, over the years her expanded family provided for a lot of interesting reunions and some of the practical jokes Reba loved, even when played on her.
Johnny Hart recalled one reunion where Rex and Jerrell Smalley put a small snake in Reba's purse.
"There was a lot of hollering going on," he said.
A great lover of sports, Reba played basketball and softball in high school and the latter in independent leagues up into her 50s. Fearless, she refused to wear a mask catching until a foul ball hit her in the nose.
She was also a great fan of the Atlanta Braves.
Johnny Hart said Reba had so much energy that she and his youngest son, Wes, once got to scuffling around, and she ended up landing a punch on his nose.
"He said, 'You better not mess with Maw-Maw, she'll pop you,'" Johnny Hart laughed.
In the '60s and '70s, Reba owned and operated a beauty shop in Arab.
The Harts also recalled how much she loved working as a substitute teacher, even though it only paid $8-$10 per day. Always wanting to please, she would take cakes and pies for the teachers and coaches whenever she went to teach, something Clyde loved to tease her about.
"He's say she spent more on the pies than she got paid subbing," Jimmy Hart said.
She never gave up
Reba Hart's health problems perhaps started 12 years ago when she had both knees replaced at the same time. The following year she broke the femur bone in her leg, and her doctor installed a rod in it.
Seven or eight years ago she had stroke, and about three years ago she dropped a can on her foot.
Jimmy Hart said he had initially checked on it, saw she could move it, and totally misdiagnosed it. It turned out to be broken.
About six weeks ago she broke her arm at the shoulder joint and, for a while, was in the nursing home for rehabilitation.
"She had her share of health problems," Jimmy Hart said. "The last 10 or 12 years had been rough on her, but she wouldn't quit."
Reba, in fact, was determined to be out and about again.
She called Jimmy Hart Friday night said she not only wanted rails installed on the back porch of her Main Street house, but she wanted him to buy her a bicycle as well.
"She was constantly figuring out things to do," he said. "She had a lot of time on hands."
"She always felt like she was 18 and she was going to play ball again," Johnny Hart laughed. "She felt the doctor would do something to make her get up and run again, that one day she would get her car and go off down the road."
Definition of a mother
Johnny Hart was attending an economic conference at Orange Beach when he learned of his mother's death Sunday.
"I cried all the way home," he said.
"If you define a mother, what she was to us boys is what a mother is," he continued. "Our father was the rock of the family, our mother was the life of the family. She was the one who put excitement in life."
In addition to her three sons, she is survived by her daughters-in-law, Mary, Linda and Lisa Hart of Arab; brothers Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
---David Moore, editor, The Arab Tribune
Reba Bates Hart of Arab died Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006, at Marshall Medical Center North.
One of eight children, Mrs. Hart was the daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates. She was born in Union Grove but spent the majority of her life in Arab. She was married to the late Clyde Hart.
She enjoyed a true love of sports all her life and was active in high school sports and independent league sports well into her 50s. Rarely did she miss viewing an Atlanta Braves game.
During the 1960s and '70s, she owned and operated a beauty salon in Arab and loved substitute teaching in the local schools, where she met many lifelong friends and touched the lives of many.
She was active behind the scenes for many years in local and state politics and served as a public registrar for Marshall County. She was a member of the Arab First United Methodist Church.
She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: Jimmy and Mary Hart, Johnny and Linda Hart and Jerry and Lisa Hart of Arab; two brothers: Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by three brothers: Raymond Bates, Hollis Bates and George Bates; two sisters: Johnnie Mae Putnam and Thedus Thompson; and a son and daughter who died shortly after birth.
Funeral services were at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006, at Arab First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Sam Huffstutler, the Rev. Mike Shirley and the Rev. Talmadge Clayton officiating. Burial was in Arab Memorial Cemetery, with Gober Funeral Chapel directing.
Pallbearers were Hollis Hart, Wes Hart, Tyler Hart, Brian Clayton, Mike Blackwood and James Townson.
Honorary pallbearers were Tommy Prestridge, Terry Robinson, Toxie Kennedy, Phil Cobb, Alex Sierra and John Walker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article from The Arab Tribune, by David Moore:
'First Lady Emeritus' Reba Hart dies Sunday
Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
She died Sunday morning after several years of declining health. Per her strict instructions to her family, her age was not made public, but the public's feelings toward her were.
Her visitation Monday at Gober Funeral Chapel was scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but at 8:15 the line of those coming to pay their respects still ran outside the door and around the building. The crowd remained until 9:30 p.m.
The daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates of Union Grove, Reba was married to Clyde Hart, who was elected mayor of Arab for a two-year term in 1956. Now deceased, he left office in 1958 when the city changed to a commission form of government.
The Harts' eldest son, Jimmy, served three terms as city commissioner from 1974 through 1983. Their second son, Johnny, was elected mayor in 1988 when the city reverted back to a mayor-council government.
Johnny Hart went on to be reelected three times, leaving office in 2002 to become director of Marshall County E-911, a position he still holds.
Reba and Clyde Hart's third son, Jerry, like the rest of the family, lives in Arab. He is the vice president of finance for Syncro.
"He was the educated one," Jimmy Hart said Monday. "Johnny was the mayor, and I was mother's 'gofer.'
Reba, the Harts' said, was always their strongest supporter and believed in public service.
"She stuck with Dad when he was in politics," Jimmy Hart said. "And she was there for us, regardless of whatever we tried to do."
In 1958, she helped her husband get elected mayor, the same year he got involved with George C. Wallace. When Wallace won his first of four gubernatorial races in 1962, Clyde Hart became his deputy state revenue commissioner, serving under Charlie Boswell for two terms.
Johnny Hart said that when their father would call George Wallace or Rep. Tom Bevill, they would ask how "Miss Reba" was. He said that later, as mayor, when he'd call state and federal officials, they, too, would ask about her.
It might have been in part because of her cooking. Once Bevill and George Wallace Jr. happened to converge on Arab on the same day while Johnny Hart was mayor. Miss Reba had baked four cakes and four pies and insisted that he bring them by to get them, some of which flew back to Washington in a plane.
Reba for 20 years kept a picture of Lurleen Wallace on her wall. Monday, Wallace Jr. was one of the many people calling to offer their condolences.
Public service
Jimmy Hart said their mother loved politics as much as their father did.
In the mid-1960s, she ran her only campaign in an attempt to be elected to the Marshall County Board of Education.
Her love of politics derived, at least in part, from her strong feelings that involvement in public service was a good thing because it put people in a position to help others, Jimmy Hart said.
"She loved people, she loved a lot of people," Johnny Hart said.
And people knew they could go to Reba to make their needs known to her husband and sons.
Johnny Hart said their mother agreed with their father's policy to do what you think is right and correct it the next morning if you were wrong.
The Harts said Reba was a hard working campaigner and was keen on making sure people who were sick or going out of town registered as absentee voters.
Jimmy Hart recalled a tough race against three opponents in 1977.
"The absentees she got kept me out of a runoff," he said.
Even when she was unable to drive, she was on the phone, calling people, urging them to vote or register. She'd give her sons names of people to take applications to.
Other sides of Reba
The Bates were among one of the core families in the Arab area before the population rocketed in the 1960s, and Reba was kin to many of the Smalleys, Cooleys, Martins and others.
Besides political clout that would later afford her, over the years her expanded family provided for a lot of interesting reunions and some of the practical jokes Reba loved, even when played on her.
Johnny Hart recalled one reunion where Rex and Jerrell Smalley put a small snake in Reba's purse.
"There was a lot of hollering going on," he said.
A great lover of sports, Reba played basketball and softball in high school and the latter in independent leagues up into her 50s. Fearless, she refused to wear a mask catching until a foul ball hit her in the nose.
She was also a great fan of the Atlanta Braves.
Johnny Hart said Reba had so much energy that she and his youngest son, Wes, once got to scuffling around, and she ended up landing a punch on his nose.
"He said, 'You better not mess with Maw-Maw, she'll pop you,'" Johnny Hart laughed.
In the '60s and '70s, Reba owned and operated a beauty shop in Arab.
The Harts also recalled how much she loved working as a substitute teacher, even though it only paid $8-$10 per day. Always wanting to please, she would take cakes and pies for the teachers and coaches whenever she went to teach, something Clyde loved to tease her about.
"He's say she spent more on the pies than she got paid subbing," Jimmy Hart said.
She never gave up
Reba Hart's health problems perhaps started 12 years ago when she had both knees replaced at the same time. The following year she broke the femur bone in her leg, and her doctor installed a rod in it.
Seven or eight years ago she had stroke, and about three years ago she dropped a can on her foot.
Jimmy Hart said he had initially checked on it, saw she could move it, and totally misdiagnosed it. It turned out to be broken.
About six weeks ago she broke her arm at the shoulder joint and, for a while, was in the nursing home for rehabilitation.
"She had her share of health problems," Jimmy Hart said. "The last 10 or 12 years had been rough on her, but she wouldn't quit."
Reba, in fact, was determined to be out and about again.
She called Jimmy Hart Friday night said she not only wanted rails installed on the back porch of her Main Street house, but she wanted him to buy her a bicycle as well.
"She was constantly figuring out things to do," he said. "She had a lot of time on hands."
"She always felt like she was 18 and she was going to play ball again," Johnny Hart laughed. "She felt the doctor would do something to make her get up and run again, that one day she would get her car and go off down the road."
Definition of a mother
Johnny Hart was attending an economic conference at Orange Beach when he learned of his mother's death Sunday.
"I cried all the way home," he said.
"If you define a mother, what she was to us boys is what a mother is," he continued. "Our father was the rock of the family, our mother was the life of the family. She was the one who put excitement in life."
In addition to her three sons, she is survived by her daughters-in-law, Mary, Linda and Lisa Hart of Arab; brothers Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
---David Moore, editor, The Arab Tribune
Reba Bates Hart of Arab died Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006, at Marshall Medical Center North.
One of eight children, Mrs. Hart was the daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates. She was born in Union Grove but spent the majority of her life in Arab. She was married to the late Clyde Hart.
She enjoyed a true love of sports all her life and was active in high school sports and independent league sports well into her 50s. Rarely did she miss viewing an Atlanta Braves game.
During the 1960s and '70s, she owned and operated a beauty salon in Arab and loved substitute teaching in the local schools, where she met many lifelong friends and touched the lives of many.
She was active behind the scenes for many years in local and state politics and served as a public registrar for Marshall County. She was a member of the Arab First United Methodist Church.
She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: Jimmy and Mary Hart, Johnny and Linda Hart and Jerry and Lisa Hart of Arab; two brothers: Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by three brothers: Raymond Bates, Hollis Bates and George Bates; two sisters: Johnnie Mae Putnam and Thedus Thompson; and a son and daughter who died shortly after birth.
Funeral services were at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006, at Arab First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Sam Huffstutler, the Rev. Mike Shirley and the Rev. Talmadge Clayton officiating. Burial was in Arab Memorial Cemetery, with Gober Funeral Chapel directing.
Pallbearers were Hollis Hart, Wes Hart, Tyler Hart, Brian Clayton, Mike Blackwood and James Townson.
Honorary pallbearers were Tommy Prestridge, Terry Robinson, Toxie Kennedy, Phil Cobb, Alex Sierra and John Walker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article from The Arab Tribune, by David Moore:
'First Lady Emeritus' Reba Hart dies Sunday
Reba Bates Hart could well be called "First Lady Emeritus" of Arab. She was married to one mayor and gave birth to a city commissioner and a second mayor. And for years she was known as "Miss Reba" in offices of power in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.
She died Sunday morning after several years of declining health. Per her strict instructions to her family, her age was not made public, but the public's feelings toward her were.
Her visitation Monday at Gober Funeral Chapel was scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but at 8:15 the line of those coming to pay their respects still ran outside the door and around the building. The crowd remained until 9:30 p.m.
The daughter of the late J.B. and Dora Martin Bates of Union Grove, Reba was married to Clyde Hart, who was elected mayor of Arab for a two-year term in 1956. Now deceased, he left office in 1958 when the city changed to a commission form of government.
The Harts' eldest son, Jimmy, served three terms as city commissioner from 1974 through 1983. Their second son, Johnny, was elected mayor in 1988 when the city reverted back to a mayor-council government.
Johnny Hart went on to be reelected three times, leaving office in 2002 to become director of Marshall County E-911, a position he still holds.
Reba and Clyde Hart's third son, Jerry, like the rest of the family, lives in Arab. He is the vice president of finance for Syncro.
"He was the educated one," Jimmy Hart said Monday. "Johnny was the mayor, and I was mother's 'gofer.'
Reba, the Harts' said, was always their strongest supporter and believed in public service.
"She stuck with Dad when he was in politics," Jimmy Hart said. "And she was there for us, regardless of whatever we tried to do."
In 1958, she helped her husband get elected mayor, the same year he got involved with George C. Wallace. When Wallace won his first of four gubernatorial races in 1962, Clyde Hart became his deputy state revenue commissioner, serving under Charlie Boswell for two terms.
Johnny Hart said that when their father would call George Wallace or Rep. Tom Bevill, they would ask how "Miss Reba" was. He said that later, as mayor, when he'd call state and federal officials, they, too, would ask about her.
It might have been in part because of her cooking. Once Bevill and George Wallace Jr. happened to converge on Arab on the same day while Johnny Hart was mayor. Miss Reba had baked four cakes and four pies and insisted that he bring them by to get them, some of which flew back to Washington in a plane.
Reba for 20 years kept a picture of Lurleen Wallace on her wall. Monday, Wallace Jr. was one of the many people calling to offer their condolences.
Public service
Jimmy Hart said their mother loved politics as much as their father did.
In the mid-1960s, she ran her only campaign in an attempt to be elected to the Marshall County Board of Education.
Her love of politics derived, at least in part, from her strong feelings that involvement in public service was a good thing because it put people in a position to help others, Jimmy Hart said.
"She loved people, she loved a lot of people," Johnny Hart said.
And people knew they could go to Reba to make their needs known to her husband and sons.
Johnny Hart said their mother agreed with their father's policy to do what you think is right and correct it the next morning if you were wrong.
The Harts said Reba was a hard working campaigner and was keen on making sure people who were sick or going out of town registered as absentee voters.
Jimmy Hart recalled a tough race against three opponents in 1977.
"The absentees she got kept me out of a runoff," he said.
Even when she was unable to drive, she was on the phone, calling people, urging them to vote or register. She'd give her sons names of people to take applications to.
Other sides of Reba
The Bates were among one of the core families in the Arab area before the population rocketed in the 1960s, and Reba was kin to many of the Smalleys, Cooleys, Martins and others.
Besides political clout that would later afford her, over the years her expanded family provided for a lot of interesting reunions and some of the practical jokes Reba loved, even when played on her.
Johnny Hart recalled one reunion where Rex and Jerrell Smalley put a small snake in Reba's purse.
"There was a lot of hollering going on," he said.
A great lover of sports, Reba played basketball and softball in high school and the latter in independent leagues up into her 50s. Fearless, she refused to wear a mask catching until a foul ball hit her in the nose.
She was also a great fan of the Atlanta Braves.
Johnny Hart said Reba had so much energy that she and his youngest son, Wes, once got to scuffling around, and she ended up landing a punch on his nose.
"He said, 'You better not mess with Maw-Maw, she'll pop you,'" Johnny Hart laughed.
In the '60s and '70s, Reba owned and operated a beauty shop in Arab.
The Harts also recalled how much she loved working as a substitute teacher, even though it only paid $8-$10 per day. Always wanting to please, she would take cakes and pies for the teachers and coaches whenever she went to teach, something Clyde loved to tease her about.
"He's say she spent more on the pies than she got paid subbing," Jimmy Hart said.
She never gave up
Reba Hart's health problems perhaps started 12 years ago when she had both knees replaced at the same time. The following year she broke the femur bone in her leg, and her doctor installed a rod in it.
Seven or eight years ago she had stroke, and about three years ago she dropped a can on her foot.
Jimmy Hart said he had initially checked on it, saw she could move it, and totally misdiagnosed it. It turned out to be broken.
About six weeks ago she broke her arm at the shoulder joint and, for a while, was in the nursing home for rehabilitation.
"She had her share of health problems," Jimmy Hart said. "The last 10 or 12 years had been rough on her, but she wouldn't quit."
Reba, in fact, was determined to be out and about again.
She called Jimmy Hart Friday night said she not only wanted rails installed on the back porch of her Main Street house, but she wanted him to buy her a bicycle as well.
"She was constantly figuring out things to do," he said. "She had a lot of time on hands."
"She always felt like she was 18 and she was going to play ball again," Johnny Hart laughed. "She felt the doctor would do something to make her get up and run again, that one day she would get her car and go off down the road."
Definition of a mother
Johnny Hart was attending an economic conference at Orange Beach when he learned of his mother's death Sunday.
"I cried all the way home," he said.
"If you define a mother, what she was to us boys is what a mother is," he continued. "Our father was the rock of the family, our mother was the life of the family. She was the one who put excitement in life."
In addition to her three sons, she is survived by her daughters-in-law, Mary, Linda and Lisa Hart of Arab; brothers Byron Bates and Louis Bates; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Family Members
Spouse
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
