Mr. Alvin Sumbry, 74, of Phenix City, AL passed Thursday, December 19, 2024, in Phenix City, AL.

Memorial service to be held Monday, December 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. EST in the C.T. Chapel of Taylor Funeral Home, with Rev. Lawrence Stephens officiating. There will be no public visitation.

Mr. Alvin Sumbry was born on April 6, 1950, to the late Deacon A.B. Sumbry and the late Nellie Williams Sumbry.

Mr. Alvin Sumbry passed peacefully during the early morning of December 19, 2024.
Alvin accepted Christ at an early age and joined the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama, under the leadership of Pastor Lonnie Marsh, and served faithfully during his adolescent, teen, and young adult years. He served in many church auxiliaries during his Pleasant Grove membership.

Alvin graduated in 1968 from South Girard High School in Phenix City. He earned a fully paid football scholarship to Laney Community College in Oakland, California. Netflix recently aired a special program about Laney College and highlighted Alvin for being the Laney College football player who holds the record for the longest interception return for a touchdown!

He earned an Associate in Arts Degree and eventually returned home to Phenix City, after working several years in the Oakland area. After getting his real estate license, Alvin became the first black real estate developer in Phenix City. He started his own real estate company, Yoli, a name inspired by the names of his first wife, Yolanda Sewell, and his first-born son, Alexster Sumbry. During his real estate profession's heyday, Alvin came to be known affectionately as "Yoli." Known for helping many area residents to purchase their first home, including his only brother, Josiah Sumbry, "Yoli" was an active member of the Phenix City Board of Realtors for many years. When he was not putting people into houses and rentals, he could be found teeing it up on sprawling golf courses with his youngest son, Adam Sumbry, for Alvin was truly an avid golfer.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents: Deacon A.B. and Nellie Sumbry; his sisters, Mattie Pearl Lynn and Lillie Sumbry Jones; a sister adopted in love into the Sumbry family household, Mary Alice Ziglor, along with her son, Jimmy Stephens; and a niece, Eva Lynn Gilmore.

Alvin leaves to celebrate his memories his two sons, Alexster (LaTonya) Sumbry of Columbus, and Adam Sumbry of Montgomery, Alabama; his only remaining sibling, Josiah Sumbry, of Phenix City; four grandchildren, Alexis Sumbry and Jayden Sumbry of Huntsville, Alabama, and Keyunsae and Keyuna Peebles of Columbus; three nephews, Andre (Stephanie) Jones, Michael (Shanitha) Jones, and Joseph L. (Tammy) Jones, Jr.; two nieces, Alethia L. Jones, and Tracy (Marcelleo) Gaines; a nephew adopted in love into the Sumbry family household, Pastor Lawrence (Beverly) Stephens, along with his sister, Denise (Butch) McCray; and a host of great nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.