Mrs. April Ophelia Morrissette Beal of 1964 Coney Road, Vienna, Georgia died Saturday, December 23, 2023 at her residence.

The funeral service will be held Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 3:00 PM in the sanctuary of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Vienna, Georgia.

The burial will be held Saturday, January 6, 2024 at the Gethsemane Cemetery, 800 Mobile Street, Mobile, Alabama.

April Ophelia Morrissette-Beal, a native of Mobile, Alabama and resident of Vienna, Georgia was born April 8, 1943 to Grace Louise Stanfield and Robert Lee James, in addition to a bonus father   Hubert E. Stanfield. She was the oldest of eight children. She     departed this earthly life on Saturday, December 23, 2023.

April's early education took place at Rosa Lott School in Citronelle, Alabama.  She later attended Mattie T. Blount High School in Prichard, Alabama and was a graduate of Cedar Grove Private School in 1961.  She was a member of Goodwill Church Ministries in Prichard, Alabama.  After graduating and having her first child, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she worked for the Los Angeles Unified Public School System as a plant manager. She then worked as a bus driver for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority with over thirty years of dedicated service. During her time in California, she was a member St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church in La Puente, California where she was a member of the choir and also several other ministries.

While living in California she also gave birth to her son. After retiring, she moved to Vienna, Ga in 1997 where she worked as a nurses aid at Leisure Life Retirement home. She later became a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and served in many capacities including the choir and hospitality ministry. In her spare time she loved to travel, watching soap operas, cooking, shopping, and spending time with her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Grace Louise Stanfield and Robert Lee James, her bonus father Hubert Stanfield, and  sister Mamie James Taylor.

April leaves to cherish her precious memories, her husband, Paten Beal; four sisters, Joyce (Lawrence) May of Mobile, Alabama, Paulette Ware of Prichard, Alabama, Anna Stallworth of Whistler, Alabama, and Brenda (Cooper) Davis of Elko, Georgia; three brothers, Robert (Darlene) James, Jr. of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Brad (Ann) James of Prichard, Alabama and Darrol James of Prichard, Alabama; two children, Joyce Morrissette of Mobile, Alabama and James Haugabrook of California; five bonus children, Demetrius (Renee) Haugabrook of Eastvale, California, Tammi Haugabrook of Hawthorne, California, Robert (Dianna) Camp of Stockton, California, Anthony Haugabrook of Los Angeles, California, and Dourinina (Cornelius) Mullins of Havelock, North Carolina; four grandchildren, Toni Morrissette-Smith, Damian Roches, Mokhali Valles, and Demetrius (Kendra) Keith; five bonus grandchildren Andre (Melanie) Haugabrook, Darion (Adesola) Haugabrook, Kaylah Mullins, Samara Mullins, and Alayna (Andy) Matheron. She also leaves to cherish a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and sorrowing friends.