Jimmie H. McInerney

Jimmie Louise McInerney died September 29, 2021, at the age of 96. Born July 27, 1925, in Birmingham, Jimmie was a proud graduate of Ensley High School. She married William O. McInerney on August 4, 1944. Predeceased by her mother Doris Cook, she is survived by a sister, Judy Deegan, and a brother, Gary Cook. She is also survived by her five children—Bill (Olynn McInerney), Mary (Rick Zellmer), Mickey (Fred Henley), Nancy (Lee Bartley), and Joe (Chris Walcott), nine grandchildren—Amy Dillard (Clint), Kerry McInerney (Jenny), Brendan McInerney (Amanda Cazort), Allynn McInerney, Justin Zellmer (Alison), Adria Staton (Chris), Katy Norton (David), Brad Northcutt (Randi), Jessica Hill, and Collins Marsh, and 19 great grandchildren.

Music was Jimmie’s passion all her life. Possessed of a wonderful soprano voice, she sang in choirs well into her eighties, and passed that love of music on to her children. She enjoyed remarkable health and vigor for almost all of her life. Her children remember how she celebrated her 68th birthday by hiking up to 12,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, and she went dancing every week well into her 90s.

When her husband Bill died of cancer in 1974, she was left with her two youngest children still at home. She had been out of the workforce for 30 years, but she went out and started a second career working for the Mead Corporation. If it needed doing, she did it.

Church was also important to Jimmie. She was a lifelong church goer, most recently at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, where she sang in the choir for 15 years, and participated enthusiastically in church activities after her singing days were over. She was a hostess after services in Clingman Commons. A member of the St. Agnes Guild, she loved to be involved in things at church, especially the Lenten Lunches. She had a big and inclusive heart, exemplified, for example, in her service on the AIDS Outreach committee at the Advent, hosting one of the meetings at her home. She considered things like race, sexual orientation, and religion irrelevant to one’s worth as a person, and welcomed all.

Her children cherish her skill as a seamstress. She made Mary and Mickey’s wedding dresses, prom dresses for her girls, cheerleading outfits for Nancy, even lined and pleated draperies. Her green thumb was the envy of her children, and all of us fondly remember her meatloaf!

Jimmie was the true matriarch of her family. She loved all of us, and we all loved her. It will be very strange to have family events without her, because she was there for all of our events for over 70 years. We were blessed to have her for so long, and she continues in our hearts.

Memorial gifts are welcome to the Cathedral Church of the Advent Music Program.

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The family will receive friends on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Elmwood Chapel Funeral Home with a graveside service and burial following at 2:00 PM at Elmwood Cemetery.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 2:00 pm at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, with visitation at 1:30.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.johnsridoutselmwoodchapel.com for the MCINERNEY family.