Alma Gray Coghill Brizendine

Alma Gray Coghill Brizendine, age 96, of Tappahannock, Virginia, passed away peacefully on July 18, 2026. She was born on June 11, 1930, to Willard B. Coghill and Bessie Blanton Coghill.

She was a lifelong resident of Tappahannock, and a faithful member of Howerton Baptist Church, where she found fellowship and strength throughout her life.

Alma dedicated 35 years of service to the insurance industry, retiring in 1995 from Riverland. Through her years of work, she was known for her commitment, dependability, and the lasting relationships she built with those around her.

Beyond her professional life, Alma found her greatest joy in her family and the simple pleasures of home and nature. She cherished time spent with those she loved, enjoyed boating on the Rappahannock River, and took great pride in working in her yard.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Elvin Garrett Brizendine; her sister, Mary Coghill Webb; her brothers, W. Calvin Coghill and T. Blanton Coghill; and her sister, Charlotte Coghill Vaughan.

She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Brizendine Hillyer (Herb Osburn) of Tappahannock; her sons, Michael W. Brizendine (Janet) of Howerton, Virginia, and G. Scott Brizendine (Amy) of Warsaw, Virginia. She is also survived by her three beloved grandchildren, Amanda Hillyer McCluskey (Zach) of Asheville, North Carolina, Dr. Ellen Garrett Hillyer (Dave) of Mechanicsville, Virginia, and Christopher Garrett Brizendine of Tappahannock; and her three cherished great-granddaughters, Caroline Stuart McCluskey, Peyton Gray McCluskey, and Mae Garrett McCluskey, all of Asheville, North Carolina; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at Howerton Baptist Church on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. The family will receive friends at the church from 11:30 until the service time at the church. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Faulkner Funeral Home, Marks-Bristow Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Howerton Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 3875 Essex Mill Road, Dunnsville, VA 22454.