Family, friends and community leaders gathered in Selma on Saturday to celebrate the life and legacy of Lula Hatcher, the longtime owner of Lannie’s Bar-B-Q, whose restaurant became a landmark in the city and whose kindness left a lasting impact on generations of people.
) - Family, friends and community leaders gathered in Selma on Saturday to celebrate the life and legacy of Lula Hatcher. She was the longtime owner of Lannie’s Bar-B-Q, a restaurant that became a landmark in the city and whose kindness left a lasting impact on generations.
Hatcher died on July 3 at the age of 93. Her family announced her passing in a Facebook post, writing that she had “transitioned peacefully” and thanking the community for its love, prayers and support while asking for privacy during their time of mourning. Saturday’s homegoing service filled the church with people who came to honor a woman many simply called “Mama. ” For many in Selma, Hatcher was much more than the owner of a famous barbecue restaurant.
Family and friends say she welcomed everyone with open arms, made people feel like family and was always ready to offer a meal or share a smile.
“Mama Hatcher was everybody’s mother,” family friend and godson Jasper Bowie said. “Everybody loved Mama Hatcher. ” Bowie said he visited Hatcher nearly every day. Whether they were laughing together or simply talking about life, he said she always made people feel at home.
He described Hatcher as someone who never met a stranger and whose Christian faith guided the way she treated others.
“Miss Hatcher was just a loving Christian person,” Bowie said. “If all of us could walk in her footsteps... ” Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III said Hatcher’s influence reached far beyond the walls of Lannie’s Bar-B-Q. “She fed so many children, so many families and just gave back in ways that people didn’t see,” Moss said.
“It’s just so fortunate that she’s built a legacy and that that restaurant and that family will continue to feed our community and continue to bless our community with their service. ” For decades, Lannie’s Bar-B-Q has welcomed customers from across Alabama and visitors from around the country. The restaurant earned national recognition and became one of the state’s best-known barbecue destinations. Still, those who gathered Saturday said Hatcher’s greatest accomplishment wasn’t the restaurant’s success.
Instead, they said it was the way she invested in people, cared for her community and treated everyone like family. Moss called Hatcher one of Selma’s matriarchs, saying her legacy will continue to inspire others to serve their community.
“It feels like we’ve lost so many over the last six, seven months,” Moss said. “But that just means we need other people to step up and fulfill those gaps, fulfill those legacies, step in and start participating and get involved in the community even more. They’ll be gone, but their legacy will still be here, and they’ll be missed.
” As family and friends shared stories of Hatcher’s generosity, faith and compassion, many said they will continue honoring her by living out the values she demonstrated every day. Family members say Lannie’s Bar-B-Q is expected to reopen Monday as they continue the business and the legacy Lula Hatcher spent a lifetime building.4 teens arrested after large rocks thrown at 15 vehicles in Elmore County
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