Elmwood Hill Cemetery of Troy

The handmade sign's red and blue paint stood out against the white of the Elmwood Cemetery fence posts lining the path to the final resting places of this town’s sons and daughters. On the temporary placard hung just near the cemetery’s entrance, someone had carefully illustrated the words: “Welcome Home John.” John wasn't alive to experience this homecoming. Neither were his parents, or most of his siblings. Instead, this particular return would be a celebration of a different kind. It would mark the end of a long journey — an end 74 years in the making. Pfc. John Walker went missing Nov. 24, 1944, while fighting on Hill 207 in Schonthal, Germany. He was declared dead a year later — 18 months after he was drafted. The quest to figure out what happened to John passed through generations of Walkers, from mother to sister to daughter. The lingering questions and the painful memories of an ancestral legend without an end largely remained until April, when the Department of Defense called to say John’s remains had been identified and were on their way to Iowa. The Walkers' story mirrors that of other Iowa families who have wished for answers while struggling with not knowing what happened to their loved ones lost...

Then there are the famous residents who decided to be buried in California, or Chicago, or in whatever state they found fame.Below is a list of burial sites for 28 notable or notorious Alabamians, with those buried in the state listed first.If you want to add any others to the list, email kkazek@al.com.Famous people buried in AlabamaDavey Allison, NASCAR driver, part of famed Allison family. Killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Speedway at age 32. Feb. 25, 1961-July 13, 1993. Interred in Highland Memorial Gardens in Bessemer.Mary Anderson, inventor of windshield wipers, Feb. 19, 1866-June 27, 1953. Interred in historic Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. Read her FindAGrave.com entry here.Paul "Bear" Bryant, "winningest football coach," University of Alabama. Sept. 11, 1913- Jan. 26, 1983. Interred in historic Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. Read his FindAGrave.com entry here.Rube Burrow, outlaw, known as the Jesse James of Alabama. Dec. 11, 1855-Oct. 8, 1890. Interred in Fellowship Cemetery in Lamar County.Pat Buttram, actor, Gene Autry's sidekick and later played Mr. Haney on "Green Acres." Prolific voice artist whose credits included Disney's "The Aristocats," "The Fox and the Hound." June 19, 1915-Jan. 8, 1994. Interred in Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Winston County.Jean Byron, actress, started in B horror films such as "The Magnetic Monster," portrayed the mom on the "Patty Duke Show" in the 1960s. Dec. 10, 1925-Feb. 3, 2006. Interred in Mobile Memorial Gardens Cemetery.George Washington Carver, often credited as the inventor of peanut butter, Carver actually was a researcher at Alabama's famed Tuskegee University and devised more than 300 uses for peanuts, soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes to help decrease the South's dependence on cotton. July 12, 1864- Jan. 5, 1943. Interred Tuskegee Campus Cemetery in Macon County.Alton and Rabon Delmore, the famed 1930s country music duo The Delmore Brothers. Inspired Bob Dylan and others. Alton: Dec. 25, 1908-June 8, 1964. Rabon: Dec. 3, 1916-Dec. 4, 1952. Inter...

Photo provided by Steve Gold) A small corner of the Elmwood Hill Cemetery serves as a Jewish Military Cemetery. (Photo provided by Steve Gold) Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 1 of 4 A small corner of the Elmwood Hill Cemetery serves as a Jewish Military Cemetery. (Photo provided by Steve Gold) A small corner of the Elmwood Hill Cemetery serves as a Jewish Military Cemetery. (Photo provided by Steve Gold) Younger generation keeps tradition aliv...