Mary Joyce Apel

Mary J. Apel of Enterprise, AL passed away on Sunday, June 23, 2019 after a brief illness. She was 79. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at Sorrells Funeral Home in Enterprise. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park in Dothan, AL with Sorrells Funeral Home directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Wednesday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and continuing until time of service. Mary was born June 19, 1940 in Franklin County, TN to the late James and Theo Creekmore. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Albert Apel of Enterprise; daughter, Sandy (Frank) Tanner of Houston TX; brother, Forrest (Marilyn) Creekmore of Portland, TN; grandchildren, Caroline and Nicholas Tanner; numerous nieces and nephews. She was a long time Enterprise resident and was active in the post chapter of the Retired Officer’s Wives Association, the Republican Women of Coffee County and the Fort Rucker chapel community, serving for decades as a member of the 1100 Main Post Chapel service, the Protestant Women of the Chapel and was very active in all chapel Religious Education ministries from the 1970’s until her passing. Mary was a homemaker and very active volunteer in the community and the Fort Rucker chapel community. She and her husband were named Fort Rucker’s Volunteers of the Year: Lifetime Achievement in April 2012 for the decades of extensive volunteer service they provided to the community through the choir, Parish Advisory Council, the Living Last Supper, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School and Protestant Women of the Chapel. Mary and her husband were awarded the most prestigious award the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps has for volunteers – the Aaron and Hur Award in October 1997. Her gentle spirit and servant’s heart were apparent to all who came in contact with her. Mrs. Apel was an inspiration and a mentor to many. She touched countless lives through her volunteer work. She and her husband have been vital volunteers with the chapel’s Living Last Supper ministry, from its inception in 1979 to the 40th anniversary in 2019.