Carl "Bama" Gilbert Meadows, Jr., of Alabaster, Ala. passed away on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the age of 74.

Bama retired from the United States Navy after 25 years of service. He proudly served in Vietnam and was a parachute ripper and Brown Water River Rat. Bama was a proud alum of the University of Alabama and UAB, a lung cancer survivor, and a diehard Alabama football fan whose idol was Paul Bear Bryant. ROLLLLL TIDE! Outside of his military career, Bama also worked as a therapist for Bradford Health Services in Warrior, Ala. and as a social worker for Jefferson County. He loved fishing, watching TV with Octavia, and going out to eat #shoutouttazikis. Most of all, though, Bama loved his family. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him dearly.

Bama was preceded in death by his parents, Carl Gilbert Meadows, Sr. and Mary Frances Waits Meadows; wife, Cindy Meadows; and siblings, Judy, Tommy and Joann.

He is survived by his wife, Crystal Meadows; children, Octavia Meadows, Scooter Meadows (Adrell), Melissa Waller (Patrick), Selena Meadows, and Angela Meadows; grandchildren, Tristian, Kayden, Timothy, Merina and Caleb; siblings, Mack and Betty Faye; and his two best friends, Mark Welsh and Tom Benfield.

A visitation and funeral service for Bama will be held at Messmer Goodwin Funeral Home on Saturday, June 27. Family will receive friends in the chapel from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the funeral service will begin at 1:00 p.m. Immediately following the funeral service, everyone will travel of their own accord to Warrior Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to help cover the funeral expenses. Messmer Goodwin Funeral Home accepts payments using cash, check, and debit or credit card (3.5% processing fee applied to all card transactions). To make a donation, you can visit the office during normal business hours (Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 4:30) or if using a debit or credit card you can also pay over the phone by calling (205)647-0253, and a receipt for your donation will be sent to you via text message or email.