The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 3

federal decision and refuse to issue licenses. Citing the conflicting instructions, most probate judges refused to issue licenses Monday, saying they sought further guidance from the courts. The suit also filed in court was expected to provide that guidance for every county in the state. When Granade ruled on the matter Thursday, however, she ordered only the Mobile County probate judge to issue the licenses, without issuing similar orders to other counties. Even so, the order set off a cascade of changes in probate offices Friday morning.

The gay-rights group Human Rights Campaign reported Friday afternoon that 47 of 67 counties were licensing same-sex unions as of Friday, with three more Hale, Marion and Marshall planning to make the change Monday. Talladega County Probate Judge Billy Atkinson said he changed his policy Friday morning, after reading the court order and consulting with a lawyer. love this county and I want to see it go into a long-term Atkinson said. Staffers in the Cherokee and St. Clair probate offices said those counties, too, were issuing marriage licenses to all couples.

Attempts to reach staff in the Cleburne and Chambers county offices Friday were unsuccessful. Randolph County issuing marriage licenses to anyone, a member of the staff there said. Etowah County has been licensing same-sex unions since the court order went into effect Monday. Some of the couples wed in Gadsden on Monday were from Calhoun County, and had been denied licenses here. By Wednesday, Calhoun County Probate Judge Alice Martin had changed course.

Like Atkinson, Martin said she made the change on the advice of counsel. possible that the current map of gay-marriage-friendly counties may not change much in coming weeks. Watson said most of the remaining counties are places where the ACLU knows of no couple seeking a license. mostly rural areas with few residents, Watson said. imagine the same- sex population in these areas is pretty Watson said.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a nationwide ruling on the issue by June. The Anniston Star Saturday, February 14, 2015 Page 3A REGION 401 South Noble St. Anniston, AL Free Estimates Easy Terms Since 1950 256-237-5821 ORNAMENTAL IRON HANDRAILS www.awningsbyevans.com Knock out the cold wind and protect your plants from freezing with our CLEAR VINYL PANELS Eugene L. Evans Mfg.

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380 OPEN: M-F Saturday 8:30 2pm J.A. 9 159 while supplies last! 159 while supplies last! 9 mm 10 round magazine Magazine Out Safely Slide Hold Open On Last Round Loaded Chamber Indicator Bold Pistol Red Cocked Indicator Massive Screw Adjustable Rear Sight High Visibility Red Front Sight Thumb Operated magazine Release .380 Auto 6 Round Magazine Capacity Bold Pistol Red Cocked Indicator Compact Size Fixed Sights Smooth Trigger Pull (8-10lbs) Magazine Extended Base for Comfort Extra Magazine GOT WEEDS? GET STARTED SPECIAL: Only 34 95 Fertilization, Weed, Insect Disease Control 256-820-4633 Kind stranger buys dinner for couples celebrating wedding BY EDDIE BURKHALTER Being in a gay relationship is often difficult in Alabama. There are the occasional stares when holding hands in public, or the snide remarks made by strangers in restaurants, Susan Ashley said. what made a kind gesture by a stranger at an Oxford restaurant Monday all the more special. Ashley, 30, of Talladega, and her wife, Brandi, were married Monday in Birmingham, as were their friends Teresa and Alisha Smith.

To celebrate, both couples shared lunch at the Olive Garden in Oxford. waitress and staff were congratulating us, and we were talking about the events that unfolded that Susan Ashley said by phone Thursday. Halfway through the meal, the waitress told both couples that a woman who had been sitting behind them asked to pay for their meals and a bottle of wine. The woman asked that her kind gesture not be mentioned until after left, a request the waitress honored. know us.

It was almost a $100 ticket. It really touched Ashley said. all said we wished we could have thanked Saks resident Alisha Smith said she remembers seeing the woman before she left, and recalled that she had long, sandy-colored hair, was maybe in her late 30s or early 40s. She had a young boy with her, maybe 6 or 7, Smith said. No one thought she had paid any attention to the two couples as they ate and talked about the historic day.

Just when one thinks, Susan Ashley said, that there many open-minded people left in the world, something like that happens to alter view. Teresa Smith, 33, said she and her now-wife, Alisha, have been together for nearly 11 years. The two met at work. been a long Smith said, speaking of becoming legally bound to each other. had accepted that we might not ever get Nearly every Day, Smith said, she gives Alisha flowers, a gift and a card, and then they go out for dinner, usually at Olive Garden.

where they plan to be on this Day, Smith said, in the same place that a stranger displayed kindness to them Monday. Staff Writer Eddie Burkhalter: 256-235-3563. On Twitter Bill Anniston Star Susan and Brandi Ashley married Monday in Birmingham. COUNTIES Continued from Page 1A MARRIAGES Local counties and same-sex marriage: Issuing licenses to same-sex couples Calhoun, Cherokee, St. Clair, Talladega Not issuing licenses to same-sex couples Clay, Randolph No information available Friday Chambers, Cleburne encircled by Appalachian foothills.

Family members said Friday that even when work took Willis to Montgomery, he never missed a night in Nances Creek, opting for years to fly his private plane to and from the state capitol. heart was here in Nances said his daughter, Kim Pruitt. A graduate of White Plains High School, Willis never earned a college degree, but those closest to him said he will be remembered for his intellect and achievements. At the time of his death, Willis owned cattle, more than 500 acres of timberland and a custom-built home modeled after the Hermitage, the name of the Tennessee estate of Andrew Jackson. Willis was an ardent admirer of the seventh president.

Willis was also a family man, a lifelong church-goer, longtime sawmill owner, a pilot, and a county commissioner. In 1983, Willis famously announced his campaign for presidency, an attempt to fulfill a lifelong ambition, said his sister, Martha Hancock. the public ever really got a hold of Gerald, he would have definitely made she said, adding that he lacked the recognition needed to secure the Democratic nomination, but always had the drive to make it to the top. told his mother from the time he was 10 years old that he was going to be famous. She always encouraged Piedmont Mayor Bill Baker said nobody expected someone from Piedmont to secure nomination, but that he supported Willis during his attempt.

To Willis, the campaign was just an extension of his public service. was his heart and Baker said of work as an elected leader. took his job serious, and tried to do what was Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, knew Willis for decades. Elected to the Cal houn County Commission at 28, Rogers is recognized for being the youngest person to hold that office.

But before he achieved that distinction there was Willis, who secured a spot on the commission at age 30. The two also served together in the state Legislature. Later on, in 2002, Rogers and Willis would run for the same congressional seat. Willis, who ran as a Democrat, lost in the primary and threw his support behind Rogers, who said he won the race by 3,500 votes. probably elected Rogers said of the endorsement.

made a big difference for After his election, Rogers said, he recommended Willis for a presidential appointment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In that post, Willis traveled the nation working as an advocate for renewable energy, a topic his family said he became interested in the 1970s. Rogers said he was able to get that job for him by explaining how smart Willis was, and what he had done for him. was just a real smart guy when it came to public Rogers said.

just an impressive The brick, two-story home Willis and his wife, Frances, had built 35 years ago cost just more than $200,000. His desire for it to look like the Hermitage was so keen that the couple paid JSU students to visit the original structure in Tennessee, memorize its rooms, and draw them, for it was against state law to take pictures inside. Homes in the neighborhood of the Willis estate are more modest, with stick- built front porches. Doug Smith lives in such a home, and said people in the small hillside community have lived there so long some of the households have had the same land-line phone numbers for generations. Smith said he spoke to the former state legislator regularly and will remember him not for his professional or political accomplishments, but for the kind of neighbor he was.

was as honest as he could Smith said. never known of him lying, and I never caught him in a A blade on a miniature windmill outside the home is painted with the words a label applied to his home, which was once open to tourists. On the 4th of July 1983, for example, an estimated 4,000 people visited for the holiday occasion and to hear a campaign pitch. Willis identified with and admired Jackson, who rose from a humble background to lead the nation, and he often spoke in praise of the Sitting on a formal sofa inside the family entrance to the family home, which includes a winding staircase and a mural that mimics the one found in the Hermitage, wife, his sister, and his daughter explained what motivated him. The family members said Friday that Willis, on more than one occasion, donated lumber to build churches, that he left anonymous financial donations in the mailboxes of people in need, and bought groceries for families without ever letting anyone know he was the donor.

Through his political work, they said, he believed he could help more people. was just a thoughtful said his wife. he knew of anybody who was in need, he would just help them Visitation will be held Sunday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Dansby Heritage Chapel in Piedmont.

The funeral will be Monday at Dansby 2 p.m., and a graveside service will follow. WILLIS Continued from Page 1A.