Beder Pete" Kirkland

Beder “Pete” Kirkland, a resident of Dothan passed away on Friday, May 8, 2009 at Flowers Hospital. He was 84.

Funeral services will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church with Rev. Tom Anderson, Rev. Bob Ledlow and Rev. Bradley Rushing officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 11, 2009 at Florence National Cemetery in Florence, SC. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Mt. Gilead Building Fund, 2569 S. Brannon Stand Rd., Dothan, AL, 36305.Mr. Kirkland was born on February 10, 1925 in Castleberry, Alabama and lived the early years of his life there. He joined the U.S. Army and was a Veteran of WWII having served in Germany. He later joined the U.S. Air Force and served for 20 years serving in the Korean War and retiring in 1964 while stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. Mr. Kirkland was an ordained minister for the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention for 6 years. He was an active member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church.Mr. Kirkland was preceded in death by his first wife Billie Kirkland and a grandson Christian Todd.Survivors include his wife Katheren Kirkland of Dothan; daughters, Louise Cox and her husband Randy of Florence, SC, Suzanne Thomas and her husband Mike of Charlotte, NC, Dawn Todd of Florence, SC, ; a step-daughter Tammy Sauls and her husband David of Abbeville, AL; step-sons, Nicholas Deck of Dothan, Neal Deck of Dothan; 11 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren. Burial Date: January 1, 1970