Alvan Jerrel Pickels

Alvan Jerrel Pickels, born February 11, 1937 to Sam and Annie Bell of Madison County, Florida, passed away on September 22, 2026 after a life rooted in service, family, faith, and community.

He spent his early years working on the family dairy farm in Moultrie, Georgia, where days began and ended with milking cows. He often studied on the school bus or whenever he could find the time, yet still managed to never earn a grade below an A.

He joined the United States Army at age 18 and served from 1955 to 1964 as a cryptologist, working with secure military communications and coded intelligence. His assignments took him to Alaska, Japan, Washington, D.C., and other posts across the United States. During his years in the Army, Alvan married Linda, and they later made their home in Gadsden County.

In 1964, Alvan began a long career in law enforcement. He spent seven years with the Quincy Police Department before joining the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, where he served for 30 years before retiring in 1998 with the rank of Major. He took great pride in serving the people of Gadsden County and in the friendships built over those years.

His commitment to faith and community extended well beyond his career in law enforcement. He was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church of Quincy, where he served as a deacon. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason and member of Washington Lodge No. 2, as well as a Shriner. Those organizations reflected the values he carried throughout his life: service, fellowship and responsibility to others.

Alvan was an avid reader who made his way through thousands of books over his lifetime. His wide-ranging tastes reflected a lifelong curiosity and a desire to keep learning, with shelves filled with everything from historical fiction and westerns to science fiction, history, biographies and, always, his Bible. Keeping up with that kind of literary appetite required a steady supply, and he was a longtime member of the Gadsden County Library.

Alvan later married Charlotte, and together they built a life on a small farm, where over the years they kept horses and, at various times, cows and chickens. Farm life meant there was always something to do, whether picking butterbeans, repairing a tractor or bush-hogging a field, but Alvan was happiest outdoors. He was a lifelong hunter of deer and turkey and especially enjoyed still hunting and deer runs at Soapstone Hunting Club, where he served as president for many years. He was equally at home on the water, whether fishing the bream beds of Lake Talquin, heading out around St. Marks, or making annual trips with Charlotte to the Florida Keys, where they visited friends and fished for grouper and snapper and dove for lobster.

He was preceded in death by his parents, as well as his siblings, Lucille, Howard, Curtis and Linda.

He is survived by his wife, Charlotte; children Patti Hyre (Mark), Heidi Logue (Michael), and Ashlee Weber (Clint); grandchildren Brittney Kranert (Corey), Linsey Scarlett (Tommy), Madison Logue, Sarah Logue, Grace Hyre, Joel Weber and Juliette Weber; four great - grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.

Throughout his life, Alvan answered to many names: Alvan, A.J., Major, Goose, Gadsden 2 and a few others collected along the way. Of all of them, though, Daddy and Grandaddy were among the names he cherished most.

Services will be held Friday, September 25, at First Presbyterian Church of Quincy, with visitation at 10:00 a.m. followed by the service at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch.