William Searcy Averett, age 82 of Greensboro, passed away June 24, 2023. He was born September 1, 1940, in the Mt. Herman community in Hale County, AL, and was the oldest of Murphy and Ruby (Clary) Averett’s three children. The Mt. Herman community was the place he loved and he made it his lifelong home.
Searcy was an entrepreneur nearly all of his working life. He built Searcy’s Osage Lodge which served as the hub of his business operations for over five decades. Searcy’s vision for the lodge began as a hunting retreat that is highly sought out by hunters throughout the southeast. After building the lodge, he soon realized it could also serve other purposes in rural Hale County. It became a well known entertainment venue headlining bands and singers from near and far. Another vision Searcy had was to use the natural beauty of the property surrounding Osage Lodge to create a Boys Club. Participants came there to learn and experience camping, fishing, and hunting, along with basic crafts and skills which included making their very own willow chair to take home as a reminder of their experience. He thought it was important to mentor young boys with lifelong lessons that would be helpful as they grew up into productive young men. He rallied support from sponsors for his program and commemorated their generosity with iron stars that are visible outside the lodge today. In more recent years, a beautiful rustic cabin was built at the edge of Lake Murphy along with a lakeside gazebo and pier. These added features created the perfect setting for incredible outdoor weddings and to further complement the natural beauty of the property he loved so much.
Searcy was a member of Greensboro Bible Methodist Church and was baptized in Lake Murphy by his pastor and beloved friend, Brother Steve Vernon. He loved the Lord and was thankful for all the many blessings the Lord had provided for him throughout the years. He acknowledged his imperfections but sought to humbly serve the Lord.
Searcy and his wife, Mary Ellen (Stevens) Averett, both have a genuine love for people and the welfare of their fellow man. They are the kind of people who have met many strangers, but made friends of them all. They enjoyed serving on missions trips to Nicaragua. Searcy’s business provided them with the opportunity to meet and become friends with many well known personalities such as singer and entertainer Mike Twitty, who is the son of Conway Twitty, Charlie McCoy, a cast member on Hee Haw and who continues to make appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, and Jeff Cook of the group Alabama, who passed away in November.
Searcy was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Syble Averett. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, that he affectionately called Doll. They shared a committed and unwavering love through good times and challenging times for 62 years. They were a great example of what a husband and wife should be to one another. Searcy is also survived by his brother, Jerry, numerous nieces and nephews, and other family members.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 1, 2023 at Searcy’s Osage Lodge from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Greensboro Bible Methodist Church, 411 Demopolis St., Greensboro, AL 36744 or to one’s favorite charity.
Magnolia Chapel South is in charge of arrangements.
