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About Us

About Us

Our Founder

A.T. "Gus" Norwood and Marcie Norwood founded the Norwood Funeral Homes chain with their first funeral home in the small town of Guin, Alabama in May of 1966. Then, in 1972 they opened the Norwood Funeral Home in Sulligent, Alabama. Their final location was opened in Fayette, Alabama in 1977 as Norwood Chapel. Gus Norwood was well known and respected in the funeral profession as a man dedicated to service to his community and the families he served. A talented embalmer who understood the importance and need of viewing the deceased as a part of the grieving process, Gus was known to spend hours in preparing a body that had died from an illness or an accident that was considered by most as not-viewable for the public. This care and understanding of the need for viewing for a family continues today with the staff of Norwood Chapel. Gus Norwood was born May 16, 1927 in Fort Payne, Al. In those days men in this profession were known as "undertakers". Gus and Marcie moved to Winfield, Alabama in 1958 and worked for McGraw Brown-Service Funeral Home. The term of "Mortician" was used to describe those who cared for the dead during those years.

They worked for Spry Funeral Home and Morrison-Elkins Funeral Home in Florence, Al. for a period of time before opening their own business in Guin in 1966 where Gus was known as a "funeral director". For him the title of undertaker, mortician, or funeral director was not important, he understood the need for being with and walking with a family down the road of death and the funeral service and seeing them through the worst days of their life. Gus Norwood died November 25, 1989. This understanding of the importance of walking a family through a difficult time continues today with the staff of Norwood Chapel.

Our Beginnings

Norwood Chapel Funeral Home in Fayette, Alabama began serving the Fayette County area in June of 1977. Tommy Norwood was the local manager and Gus and Marcie Norwood owned the facility. The facility provided a "home-like" atmosphere for families. Many funeral homes today are cold theater feeling facilities. The warmth and comfort from the facility continues today. The business was purchased by Tommy in 1982 from his parents. With the training from his father, Tommy operated the funeral home with the success that came from understanding that all families are different and handle grief in different ways. The community knew that when they called upon Norwood Chapel that no small detail was unimportant and they knew that they could depend on the employees to honor their wishes in a professional manner. This community and family oriented business model made Norwood Chapel the first thought when a family experienced a death. The funeral home was sold to Prime Succession in 1994 and was re-purchased by Tommy Norwood in 2004. Tommy Norwood recognized that the funeral home was lacking the personal "family's first" dedication and made the move to buy the funeral home.

In 2004 and until this day, the operation of Norwood Chapel Funeral Home in Fayette, AL. under the ownership of Tommy Norwood, is now as it was in the past dedicated to serving Fayette and the Fayette County area with an understanding spirit of the community's need.

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