Somerville - Josephine Wedel Meinhardt McLeroy died peacefully at home on April 1, 2017. She was born May 2, 1919 in Decatur, AL to parents Lulu Mae Hines Meinhardt and Charles Edward Meiinhardt.

Graveside service will be Friday April 7, 2017 at 2 p.m. at Decatur City Cemetery with Rev. Sandra Locke-Godbey officiating. Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home is assisting the family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert A. McLeroy, her parents, and her siblings, Sally Lu Robinson, Charles Edward Meinhardt Jr., and Orris Hines Meinhardt. She is survived by her daughter; Jenny Lu McLeroy, dear friend Carolyn Bild, and her beloved nieces and nephews.

Josephine was a lifetime member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. She worked for the telephone company from the age of 16 and quickly rose through the ranks to become the Chief Operator in several cities throughout North Alabama, eventually coming home to Decatur, where she served as Chief Operator until her retirement in 1963. After retirement, she turned her attention to raising her daughter and cultivating her extensive gardens on her and Robert's beloved farm.

The family would like to thank her good friend and companion, Mary Jane Miller, and Hospice of the Valley and it's wonderful staff and volunteers and would ask that donations be made to it, in lieu of flowers.