Miriam Hasson Shannon

Miriam Hasson Shannon, beloved mother and wife, departed her long earthly life for an eternal home with Jesus Christ on September 30, 2024. Born in Camden, Alabama on May 21, 1929, she was the third of five daughters of Luther Castle Hasson and Annie Hicks Hasson. Miriam lived a full life marked by her steadfast optimism, refined integrity, courage, devotion to family and community and, most of all, her abiding Christian faith.

She graduated from Wilcox County High School and Alabama College (University of Montevallo), where she majored in elementary education and journalism. She joined the faculty of J.U. Blacksher Elementary School in Uriah and taught third grade, before returning to Camden to begin a kindergarten for girls.

As a lifelong member of the Camden Methodist Church, she sang in the choir and served various children’s programs.  For many years she was a participant and leader in both local and regional interdenominational Bible studies. In addition to spiritual commitments, she gave generously of her time to Camden civic organizations. She was president of the Fleur de Lis Garden Club and the Camden Study Forum. A voracious reader, she took great interest in the Camden Library, serving as board chairman and later as a proponent in the organization of the Wilcox County Library. An accomplished cook, she chaired and edited two cookbooks for church and school fundraisers. 

Miriam was best known, however, for her loyalty to family, and especially to her son, Mac McLeod.  Together with Earl Cole Shannon, her loving husband of over 61 years, they encouraged Mac, challenging him to engage life by enriching himself with interests and the many friendships God provided.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons: Daniel Fate Brooks, Mac Morrissette McLeod, Sam Davis McLeod Jr. and his wife, Reginia; William Earl Shannon; and a daughter:  Leigh Shannon Casey and her husband, Charles. She is also survived by six grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, a number of nieces and nephews, and her sister-in-law, Bess McLeod Weissinger. She is predeceased by one grandson and by her sisters: Sara Emily Hasson Anthony, Joan Hasson Darwin, Mary Hasson, and Louise Hasson Morrison. She is also predeceased by her former husbands: Fate Brooks, Jr. and Sam Davis McLeod. 

A funeral service will be held in the Camden Methodist Church on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.  Immediately following her family will receive friends in the fellowship hall. A private interment will take place in the Hasson plot at the Camden Cemetery. The family expresses appreciation to friends and caregivers, including Barbara Carter, Ada Dulaney Nettles, Geraldine Montgomery and Patrick Williams. In lieu of flowers, Miriam suggested that any donations in her memory be made to Camden Methodist Church or United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama.