Rosie Nell Kirksey Lawler

Talladega, Alabama - Rosie Nell Kirksey was the youngest and twelfth child born to Frank and Cora Kirksey. She accepted Christ at an early age at Hall Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Munford, AL under the leadership of Rev. John Henry Bradford. She married Johnny Lawler on December 19, 1965. She moved her membership to be with her husband at Africa Missionary Baptist Church in Talladega under the leadership of Rev. C.E. Mardis. For many years, she was a faithful and dedicated church member. She served faithfully under the leadership of Rev. William T. Threatt and then Rev. Isaac Richardson at Africa Missionary Baptist Church. She served on various committees, taught new members, new converts, and youth classes, and often assisted her pastor. Rosie was frequently asked to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for church events. She offered heartfelt welcomes and special occasion messages, and she would sometimes recite a poem when needed. In addition to her administrative skills, she shared her creativity by decorating and creating centerpieces for the church, family, and friends. When her son was appointed as pastor of Apostolic Church of God in 2010, the church his grandfather Bishop Elisha Lawler founded in Childersburg, AL, she made her final membership change and she served faithfully as a church mother mentoring younger women until her death.

Rosie graduated as Salutatorian of Ophelia Hill High School in Munford, Alabama. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Talladega College in 1979 where she graduated as the Class Valedictorian. She later completed a master’s degree in Mobility and Child Development from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mrs. Lawler became the first African American teacher to be employed at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. She began her career teaching at the Blind School and later served as a mobility instructor at Helen Keller.

Rosie was a devoted educator who loved her students deeply. She committed herself to improving their academic and campus life, and she consistently pursued continued education and training to strengthen her skills. Although she excelled in her studies and her career, she lovingly raised four children and centered her life around her family. Neighborhood children and friends of her sons knew her as a kind and welcoming presence. Her home was a safe environment where others felt comfortable playing, eating, and spending the night.

Rosie was also a loving aunt to many of her nieces and nephews. After the passing of her sisters, she stepped into the role of mother for several of them. Her life was marked by joy, strength, and unwavering faith. She supported her husband as he operated three businesses across the Southeast: Johnny Lawler Cleaning Service, Westview Funeral Home and United Community Developers. She partnered with him as co-owner, administrator, manager, and helper in every way she was needed.

Mrs. Lawler departed this walk of life on December 7, 2025, under the compassionate care of UAB St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. She was preceded in death by her parents Frank and Cora H. Kirksey; and siblings: F.M. Kirksey, Howard Kirksey, Dora Bell Turner, Fannie Archie, Mary Lee Turner, Corine Story, Mary Alice Harris, Florence Collins, Gertrude Snow, and Annette Boswell.

She leaves to cherish her memory her devoted husband, Johnny Lawler; four sons: Charles (Kimberly) Lawler, Gerald (Nicola) Lawler, Ronald (Norma) Lawler, and Donald (Lanika) Lawler; nine grandchildren: Joseph, Destiny, Daniel, Elisha (Tyshica) , Ethan, Elyse, Colby, Mason, and Preston Lawler; one sister, Odessa Williams; and a host of loving family members and friends near and far.

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