Dr. John "Mac" Alves

June 17, 1954 - April 13, 2014

Dr. John “Mac” Alves, age 59, a life time Guntersville resident, died on Sunday April 13, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was Guntersville’s first and only orthodontist and started practicing in 1982. His office was in the same office where his father practiced medicine for over three decades. Dr. Mac was an avid hunter and fisherman who also loved gardening and Auburn University. He had a deeply vested interest in his patients and employees and was a loving father. He was a member of: The Church of the Epiphany Episcopal Church his entire life, Ducks Unlimited, UAB Alumni, Auburn University Alumni, American Association of Orthodontists, and Southern Society of Orthodontists. He obtained his undergraduate degree at Auburn University followed by four years at UAB Dental School and two years of orthodontic residency. He was blessed to have the opportunity to hand pick his successor, Dr. Don Schmidtke, who joined his practice in 2012. He was able to practice until the last few weeks before his death with the help of Dr. Schmidtke, who is continuing Dr. Alves’s orthodontic practice as Lakeview Orthodontics in Guntersville. He was the son of Dr. Walter and Jane McDermott Alves of Guntersville. He is survived by two sons and a daughter: Clark Alves, who is attending UAB Medical School, Will Alves and Mallory Alves, who are currently at Auburn University; one brother, Walter Alves, Jr.; and a sister, Mary Alves Higginbotham (John). He was preceded in death by one sister, Joy Alves Cranford (Larry). He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends, including his loving hunting dog Bo. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to: The Alves Outreach Fund at the Episcopal Church, Ducks Unlimited, Auburn University, or UAB Dental School. The visitation will be held at The Church of the Epiphany Episcopal Church at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 19, with the memorial service immediately following at 2:30 p.m. WAR EAGLE!!