Born on March 28, 1926, in Crenshaw County, Alabama to Mack and Pearl Cauthen, Earline Cauthen Strickland, passed away at her home on February 25, 2025. Over her ninety-eight years, Earline created an extraordinary life that centered on love of family, pride in her work, and an innately happy, generous spirit.

Earline grew up in a large family, the tenth of eleven children. Her parents were sharecroppers during the Great Depression, and she along with her siblings worked the cotton fields with their parents when not attending school. They remained unusually close and supportive of one another throughout their lives and these bonds proved a strong foundation for Earline and her children. She graduated from Greenville High School in 1944, and then attended Massey Draughn Business School in Montgomery, taking a position with the Alabama Highway Department until she retired after forty years of service.

Relocating to the Lapine Community upon her retirement, in support of their sister her brother Charlie Cauthen located land, and her brother Melvin Cauthen built the house where she lived the remainder of her life. Being near her family in their rural community, Earline thrived and her generous spirit blossomed.  She enjoyed life "in the country" attending traditional music festivals, gardening, and cooking.  She exercised her creative spirit by making mixed-media composition still-life works of art, painting in watercolor, and refinishing old furniture.   Highly self-sufficient, she lovingly cared for her property, maintaining a pond where she fished for periodic suppers, and welcoming wildlife that also found sustenance on her land nearby.

She remained steadfastly intellectually curious throughout her life. She subscribed to many periodicals and read them thoroughly, happy to share what she had learned on the many subjects that engaged her. Her family cherished the memories of her interest in the news of the larger world, finding after her death a map she had saved to locate the country of Ukraine so that she could better understand news of that conflict. She would sit for hours outdoors at night and study the stars, identifying constellations and pointing out celestial wonders that others might overlook.

Despite her fragility at the end of life, her mind remained curious, and she engaged fully with those who loved and cared for her.  Given her steadfast trust in life and goodness, she prepared herself spiritually, anticipating an eternal reunion with her beloved siblings.

Earline was preceded in death by her brothers Bud, Bygie, Melvin, Charlie, and Edward Cauthen and sisters Mamie Hall Hudson, Faye Geck, Lois Russell Thompson, Ruby Pittman and Eunice Gafford.  She is survived by her children Mark and Joan, granddaughters Stacey Carruth and Meredith Blythe, and great-grandchildren Aubrey Genetski and Crawford Genetski.

A private graveside service was held on March 2nd at the Bethlehem Cemetery in Lapine, Alabama, officiated by Jack Cates and attended by many family, long-time friends, and her loyal caregivers.