Rose Eileen Serena Sirmon, age 98, departed this earth on Jun. 12, 2024, to be with her Lord and her departed family in heaven. She was born on Sept. 4, 1925, to Lillian and Aldege Riendeau in North Dakota. When Serena was eighteen in 1943, she moved to Elsanor, Alabama, with her mother, father, three sisters and her brother. Little did she know that the man living across the road would be her future husband. The following year on Nov. 17, 1944, Serena and Hilbert were married in Pensacola, Florida. Hilbert and his brothers built them a house just up the road from their parents. Serena was a housewife and stayed home to raise her children. When only three were still too young to start school, she started working at Vanity Fair in Robertsdale. She worked there until the age of 62. She retired and spent most of her time planting a garden with Hilbert. When she got too old to work in the garden, she continued growing and caring for her flowers. She still has some flowers that Hilbert got for her when he was alive. She always reminded us that he got those flowers for her. Serena loved Jesus and always had strong faith. She knew that one day she and Hilbert along with her children that had passed would be together again. Serena was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Elsanor. She was also baptized there. She attended until she became homebound in 2020. She was preceded in death by her father, Aldege Riendeau; mother, Lillian Riendeau; husband, Hilbert Sirmon; sons, Randy and Thomas Sirmon; daughter, Helen Allen; sons-in-law, Ronnie Campbell, John Bartush, Jr., and O’Neil Stabler; grandsons, Brian Jefferson, Thomas Sirmon, Jr., and Blake Jacobson; sister, Lucinda Merchant and brother, Aldoph Riendeau. She is survived by daughters, Eileen (Don) Jefferson, Susan (Albert) Bartush Lawley, Peggy (Carlton) Jacobson, Nancy (Edward) Stabler Mihal, son-in-law, Michael Allen; daughter-in-law, Neva Sirmon; sisters, Alice (Joe) Foley and Celia (Roy) Mitchell; thirteen grandchildren; and twenty-five great grandchildren. The family would like to thank all the friends, relatives and St. Joseph Hospice for all the visits and help during this time of our mother’s illness, A visitation was held on Jun. 15, 2024, at 1 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church in Elsanor. The funeral began at 2 p.m. following the visitation. Burial was held at Bether Baptist Cemetery. Funeral arrangements by Mack Funeral Home & Crematory, Hwy. 59 Robertsdale, Alabama. 251-947-7781. www.mackfuneral.com.
