Former long time Jefferson County Circuit Clerk Anne-Marie Adams has died.

Adams served as clerk from 2000 to 2018. She was 77 years old. The Birmingham native had lived in Hampton, VA in recent years to be closer to family.

A funeral mass celebrating her life is 11 a.m. Monday at Our Lady Queen of the Universe Catholic Church, 961 Center Street, Birmingham, with burial in Elmwood Cemetery. Adams died June 13.

While her office was at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Adams as clerk was a frequent presence around the county as she traveled to educate the public about her office, how elections work, and to encourage more citizens to participate in the elections process.

“That’s one of the reasons that I have worked so hard with absentee elections – people didn’t trust the process or they didn’t think that absentee ballots were counted unless it was a very close election,” she told Al.com when running for re-election in 2012. “If you put character and integrity into a situation like that, you get people to trust you and trust your way of doing things.”

Jefferson County Tax Assessor Gaynell Hendricks praised Adams, a friend and colleague, as a stalwart who remained committed to her official duties and to her community.

“Anne-Marie Adams was the epitome of a true and dedicated public servant,” Hendricks told AL.com. “The breadth and depth of her knowledge about the court system are unsurpassed. We could always depend on Anne-Marie to keep us informed on voting laws. She loved her position as county clerk. She will be missed.”

Elections and public service was a family tradition for Adams.

She is the widow of former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Oscar Adams Jr. Oscar Adams was the first Black person to sit on Alabama’s highest court with his appointment by Gov. Fob James. He was then elected in 1982, making him the first Black person in Alabama ever elected to a statewide office.