Shaina Dianne Hudspeth Gilbreath

Shaina Dianne Hudspeth Gilbreath of Gainesville, Florida, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, July 9 at the age of 61. Shaina was born on March 7, 1959 in Anniston, Alabama to parents Bishop Wendell and Jo Ann Hudspeth. Being the first born and a preacher’s kid, her family would move quite frequently during her early childhood. Regardless of their location, Shaina seemed to thrive in scholastics and her parents and teachers soon took notice of the young aspiring honor student. Throughout her academics, including Overton Elementary (Birmingham), Plainview Elementary (Rainsville), Iola Roberts Elementary (Pell City), Cherokee Elementary, Carlisle Park Middle School, Guntersville High School, and Shades Valley High School, Shaina received various honors and achievements. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, was a high school Birmingham Southern Summer Scholar, and graduated Valedictorian at Shades Valley High School in 1977. Her intelligence and natural beauty competed in tandem where she was awarded three full scholarships and reserved special places in the hearts of hopeful husbands to be. Her full-ride scholarships included Birmingham-Southern College, Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham. Her suitors’ names…too many to mention. Shaina was resilient in life and a strong fighter when faced with challenges. Being a child of parents of faith, she overcame a life threatening illness as an infant through many prayers and gifted doctors. Those prayers would be effective again when Shaina survived a near fatal automobile accident in 1983, suffering a major head injury and given only a 5% chance of survival. Following her accident, Shaina beat the odds and statistics. She recovered and continued employment at UAB Hospital, earned a computer science degree, and worked for the United States Bankruptcy Court in Birmingham as a deputy court clerk, where she received honors for her work performance. Shaina and her family relocated to Florida in the late nineties and lived in Fort Myers and Gainesville. She was active as a volunteer in her community and church. She was known for being compassionate and for making an impact everywhere she went. She loved to serve others and lend a hand to anyone in need. Shaina loved to laugh, and her children, Brittany and Shain, were the “Love-n-Daisies” in her life. She cared for her husband, Bill, in the last years of his life. Shaina’s oldest brother, Todd, dedicated the following memories to Shaina. “Growing up, Shaina was always a role model for education, work ethic, and perseverance. I remember her constantly studying, working, and always learning. Her constant need to go to the library was legendary. I’m pretty sure that’s why Dad bought the Encyclopedia Britannica in order to prevent from having to make those frequent trips. Shaina mastered Chemistry, Calculus, Trigonometry, Physics, and other advanced sciences/mathematics while in high school (many were college-level courses) in the 1970s. Her days in the high school marching band as first trumpet showcased her talent while marching (I was honored to inherit her ‘prized’ trumpet). Her love of daisies was evident, as she would draw them throughout the years with the phrase ‘Love-n-Daisies’ on pads, notebooks, papers, etc. I will forever remember her whenever I see daisies. “She would always find a way to have life experiences, even if alone. She attended John Denver, Barry Manilow, and Elton John concerts by herself, but spoke of nothing but the fantastic times she had experienced! She loved ‘60s & ‘70s pop music and would have it blaring from her record player. So many of those songs still resonate with me as if I’m hearing them for the first time with her. Like most true Alabamians, she LOVED Alabama football! “For my sixteenth birthday, she drove me to obtain my driver’s license, spending the majority of the day with me while having to work the night shift that evening. I rarely remember her ever missing work; only for a tonsillectomy and the flu. Once B.B. began walking and Mom went back to work, she managed all of the household duties, including cooking, cleaning, feeding (I loved that she would let us have ice cream for breakfast!), and caring for three rambunctious (well, two and one calm one) brothers, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA! I will forever miss hearing her always say with a smile in her voice, ‘Hey Bro!,’ whenever we would see each other or talk on the phone, or her voracious laugh when she was truly happy. “Though we didn’t see each other often in the later years, we were forever in each other’s heart and mind. After Shaina’s husband, Bill, passed away, I was notified that she had chosen me as her power of attorney, I was both honored and humbled. Even at the end of her life, we held a bond bound long ago by not only blood, but love and trust. ‘I will always love and miss you, dear Shaina, and I’m forever grateful to have not only been your brother, but to also know that you knew that I loved you enough to entrust me with your final care. Thank you, Sis! Love you! Todd’ ” Shaina’s middle brother, Shon, shared the following sentiments about Shaina. “Our sister Shaina can best be described with these words, Beauty, Strength, Intelligence, and Determination. She was the ultimate ‘quadruple threat,’ surpassing societies’ basic ‘triple threat.’ Other words that compete to represent her are Class, Fearless, Compassionate, and Dependable. Loving each of her three brothers equally, she had the ability to make each of us feel like we were her ‘favorite.’ “Being the first born, she was not only our ‘Big Sis,’ but the elected baby sitter, standard setter, protector, and an incredible overachiever. I always deeply admired her and strived to be just like her. Shaina was the Queen of the ‘Perfectly Burnt Grilled Cheese,’ and her laughter was so contagious that the church came up with a slogan when she was heading off to Lee College ~ ‘Won’t Lee Be Alive when Shanie Arrives!’ “Shaina’s sensitive heart reminded me that Christ was never a respecter of persons. She accepted everyone and showed special attention to the shy and overlooked ones in a crowd. Shaina was always the ‘Cool Chic’ with the Chic Jeans to prove it, and people were naturally drawn to her style and open heart and mind. Her wonderful listening ear afforded many opportunities to ‘go shopping’ so that she and I could escape together to share a coke, our hearts desires, and remedies to ‘save the world’ with peace and love. Oh how I will miss those phone calls and messages saying, ‘Hey Shonshine, it’s Shaina. I just wanted to call and let you know I was thinking about you. I Love You So Much.’ Shaina made ‘the first happy birthday wish’ a yearly competition and instilled in me that any day can be your birthday if someone loves you and is celebrating you. “Shaina’s great taste in music inspired her to become a ‘charter member’ of Columbia House Record Club with 10 record albums for a just a penny. This ‘coveted membership’ was initially celebrated until the caveat revealed itself. The catch was the cost of shipping for those albums and a new record album at full price (plus shipping) every month for the next ‘contractual’ year. With no job at the time, it was the first time that Dad got immediately interested in soft rock music. I’m still grateful for her ‘bedroom music jams with the brothers’ that introduced to us the latest and greatest musical artists. One of my greatest honors was her faith in my opinion to make sure she looked her best and always felt pretty. When she was having the dreaded ‘bad hair day,’ she would take me with her to Fantastic Sams and say (to Bubbles or Angel), ‘Whatever Shon says is what I want!’ Her confidence in me and my appreciation for beauty set the foundation for my art career. “Being the only sister, she taught us boys how to treat, listen to, and respect a lady, especially one who was driven and had an opinion. Shaina lived unapologetically, and if you knew her heart, she never had to make or offer excuses. It was no secret that I adored and ‘idolized’ her growing up. Shaina first inspired me to be an artist from my awareness of her beautiful handwriting and her figurative trademark ‘Love-n-Daisies.’ She drew a daisy on practically everything that she signed letting you know it had her seal of approval or that she had been there. “My heart hurts knowing that she won’t be my first happy birthday wish any longer (she’d often call a day ahead to ‘beat my brothers’), but as I look for the daisies, the color purple, or any day I feel loved and celebrated, I’ll know she’s sending me a hug from Heaven. I called Shaina ‘My Angel’ because I knew I could always count on her to take time to listen and encourage me. ‘Shaina, I just want You to Know I’m Thinking About You, and I Love You So Much! I’ll save that sacred purple space in my heart just for you. I know you’re already making Mom and our Grandparents laugh in Heaven. Fly High My Angel! Your ‘Favorite’ Brother, Shon’ ” Shaina’s baby brother, B.B., shared the following experiences with Shaina. “Being the youngest Hudspeth sibling, there was a nine year age difference between my sister, Shaina, and me. I was a struggling student at Cahaba Heights Elementary School due to interests “outside” of school while Shaina was preparing to graduate from high school and head off to college. If there was one thing I knew about Shaina then, it was that she was brilliant. How blessed I was that Mom assigned her to be my tutor. Sitting at the kitchen table, Shaina eating her cereal, and me trying to figure out ‘Spot’ and ‘Tag,’ I remember asking myself in my head, ‘How does she know so much’ as she helped me try to understand my homework. Although patient, she did get a little frustrated at times with comments like, ‘No B.B., that’s not the right answer,’ and then one day, it all came together. Shaina shouted out to Mom, ‘He’s got it Mom! B.B.’s got it! It all makes sense to him now!’ Both Mom and Shaina celebrated my ‘light bulb moment’ and were so happy. From then on, school was much smoother for me. ‘Thank you, Shaina, for your patience.’ “In addition to being a good tutor, Shaina excelled at being “head of household,” or, in her words, “The Boss,” while Mom and Dad were away. On one occasion while playing basketball, it was getting late and Shaina told me multiple times to come inside the house. I, in return, defied her request multiple times and continued to play. She found ‘her voice’ and yelled one final time to come inside. As I, again, defiantly ignored her demand, I heard the loud crash from her fist shattering the glass door at the back of our house. As the glass pieces were finding their home in the gravel, my eyes focused on the blood running down Shaina’s fist and arm. The dripping blood on the kitchen floor created the perfect distraction for me to run inside and zoom past her. Showing she meant business, from this moment on, Shaina WAS ‘The Boss.’ “After graduating from college, my mother, Jo Ann, Shaina, and I worked within blocks of each other in Birmingham. My mother and I carpooled from Guntersville and picked Shaina up in Tarrant City for the remaining fifteen minute drive to work. We would get to spend an additional fifteen minutes together on our evening ride back home each day. I will always cherish these times with the three of us talking about our day, laughing, and enjoying quality time together. ‘Thank you, Shaina, for being a great big sister. Serving as best man at your wedding is an honor that I will always cherish. I will miss your birthday calls, your laughter, and hearing you say, ‘I love you.’ I love you, Shaina, B.B.’ ” Shaina’s daughter, Brittany, expressed her thoughts regarding her mother. “My mother showed the greatest love a mother could ever show their child. She knew she could not give me everything that I needed or everything that she wanted to give me. That love guided her to choose someone she trusted to give me what she knew she could not fulfill due to certain life circumstances. She chose my mom and dad, Martha and Sam Hicks, to care for me. Growing up, I was extremely blessed to have my mother in my life. When I was younger, we would go to Maw Maw and Paw Paw Hollis’ house on Friday evenings in order to go home with Maw Maw (Jo Ann) Hudspeth for the weekend. We would play, help Maw Maw around the house, go shopping, do something fun, and go to church on Sundays. Those were happy memories that I will always treasure. When I was eight, Mommy (Shaina) moved to Florida, and I was not able to see her as often. Even though she was not nearby, she would call me every Saturday until my early teens. Throughout my childhood, I remember being told of how smart and beautiful she was when she was growing up. I always wanted to be smart and beautiful just like her. There have been many occasions people have mistaken me for her because we honestly look so much alike. I consider it an honor to look so much like her and to have so many ways similar to hers. I know that Maw Maw Hudspeth was thrilled to see her in Heaven when God called her home. I look forward to the day when we will all be together again for eternity. I love my mother very much, and I am so thankful for everything she has done for me through her love. ‘Mommy, I love you and I hope to make you and Maw Maw Hudspeth proud by continuing our family’s legacy. Brittany’ ” Shaina was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Gilbreath, and her mother, Jo Ann Hudspeth. She is survived by her daughter, Brittany Gilbreath of Leeds; son Shain Gilbreath of Jacksonville, Florida; father Bishop Wendell Hudspeth of Guntersville; brothers Todd Hudspeth of Langston, Shon Hudspeth of Nashville, Tennessee, and Brien “B.B.” Hudspeth of Guntersville; adopted sister Martha Hicks of Leeds; a niece Jennifer Hudspeth Johnson (Nate) of Buffalo, Minnesota; nephews Allen Hudspeth of Burnsville, Minnesota, Caleb Hudspeth of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Ren Hudspeth of Guntersville; a great-niece Audrianna Grace Johnson of Buffalo, Minnesota; and great-nephews Tyson Hudspeth of Burnsville, Minnesota, Jayden Hudspeth of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Max Johnson of Buffalo, Minnesota. Visitation will be at Guntersville Memorial Chapel from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, her mother’s birthday. Her visitation will include two of her favorite loves, coffee and chocolate, for those who attend. Her “gratitude for life” service will follow.

Shaina Dianne Hudspeth Gilbreath

March 7, 1959 - July 9, 2020