Verbia O'Neal Messick was born in Goshen, Alabama just after midnight on October 15, 1936 to Verbia Travis and Mary Lizzie Messick. He passed away on July 29, 2026. He was the fifth of six children and he took to the farm life early and never let go of that love. His family nickname was “little brother” which eventually became just “brother.” He was known as “Uncle Brother” to his siblings’ children. Uncle Brother was the playful, fun and slightly mischievous uncle. He always said his favorite music was the sound of children playing. For those who knew and loved him the sound of his laughter was as powerful as rumbling thunder and as comforting as blueberry pie.
The Family
He graduated from Abbeville High School in 1955, where he excelled in sports playing football, basketball, baseball and track. He received a football scholarship to Troy State where he played fullback. He served for several years in the Alabama National Guard. He always said whenever he was asked what food he wanted delivered to him on a long guard duty he always asked for five tomato sandwiches. You can take the boy out of Abbeville, but you can’t take Abbeville out of the boy. The year 1959 was a good year for the Messicks; he graduated from Troy, got a job teaching math at Baldwin County High School, and married Mary Hazel Oliver on November 26, 1959. His love for math was something he carried his whole life. He was always trying to solve unsolvable problems and he devoured thousands and thousands of Sudoku challenges- the unbearably difficult ones.
O'Neal & Mary Hazel 11/26/59
He served the community as a Kiwanis member and president. He participated in Disaster Relief projects across the US for over 20 years and was an expert chainsaw operator. He loved to talk about the camaraderie of the men he made those trips with. Of course he also loved to talk about the pranks and humor they shared to help them work in those areas of devastation. He was on the Board of the Baldwin County Federal Credit Union and on the Board of Directors for the Baldwin County Department of Human Resources. He helped build numerous ramps at homes to help families with mobility and safety. O'Neal was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church Bay Minette.
The man in his element.
He was an avid gardner. His Bay Minette garden was almost a half acre. He grew an ever changing roster of vegetables for a total of 49 years in Bay Minette and when he moved his family to Foley for 11 years he grew a garden there right across the street from Foley High School. His abundant vegetable garden fed many friends, neighbors and family members for decades. It was his connection to his mother, father and his early years as well as an example to his kids and grandchildren of dedication, hard work and a healthy life.
The Happy Couple
He and Mary Hazel got their first jobs together, bought a beach house together, (and lost the lower level to Hurricane Frederic in 1979), shelled a few million peas and pecans together, and raised a family while embracing their community at every opportunity. O’Neal also stayed anchored to his Abbeville family. He never missed a chance to visit there and even raised cows on family land for over 35 years. His call of “c’mon girls” to his cows is a sound that makes all of his family smile. He also used his shockingly perfect peacock call to scare kids and old folks alike. He hummed hymns while reading the paper, watching the Atlanta Braves and at about any time he was in deep thought.
If you want to find a way to remember or honor O’Neal Messick you could donate to Future at First, First Baptist Church Bay Minette, PO Box 1628, Bay Minette, AL 36507. You might also want to hum a tune, turn off the Braves if they are losing, scare someone and laugh until it hurts or maybe grow a garden and a life that you share with love.
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