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Earl “Butch” Travis was widely known as one of the best barbecue cooks in the state and region, but his family and friends say his generosity and love for the people of Selma and Dallas County is what they’ll remember most about him.

Travis died Thursday, the victim of an apparent accidental drowning while fishing in a Valley Grande pond. Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced, yet.

Travis opened Lannie’s Bar-B-Q in 1992, where it became hugely popular and eventually won the title of Best Barbecue Restaurant in Alabama in 2016.

Marquita Thomas-Evans, one of Travis’ daughters, said she’s amazed at how many lives her father impacted over the years. “When I tell you my daddy touched so many people, it’s unbelievable, all the people that have reached out to us is just incredible,” Thomas-Evans said.

Earl “Butch” Travis was widely known as one of the best barbecue cooks in the state and region, but his family and friends say his generosity and love for the people of Selma and Dallas County is what they’ll remember most about him.

Travis died Thursday, the victim of an apparent accidental drowning while fishing in a Valley Grande pond. Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced, yet.

Travis opened Lannie’s Bar-B-Q in 1992, where it became hugely popular and eventually won the title of Best Barbecue Restaurant in Alabama in 2016.

Marquita Thomas-Evans, one of Travis’ daughters, said she’s amazed at how many lives her father impacted over the years. “When I tell you my daddy touched so many people, it’s unbelievable, all the people that have reached out to us is just incredible,” Thomas-Evans said.