• Rinehart & Sons
Betty Stanfield Murphy
Jesup—Betty Stanfield Murphy, 94, of Jesup died Dec. 27, 2025, in the Hospice of South Georgia Inpatient Unit.
The Patterson native had lived in Jesup most of her life and was a member of Jesup First United Methodist Church and the Joy Sunday School Class. The homemaker was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had a natural flair for decorating using natural greenery and flowers from her garden. Her competitive nature could be seen on the golf course and at the bridge table.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, Robert W. “Buck” Murphy; her parents, Rufus and Louise Stanfield; four brothers, Cameron, Parnell, Dwight and Wayne Stanfield; and a son-in-law, Charles Brannen.
Survivors include her children, Elaine Brannen, Betty (Alice) Nichols and Merrie (Don) Kennedy, all of Jesup; Murphy children including Ellen (Larry) Smith and Katie (Wally) Orrel; grandchildren, Leigh Brannen, Tripp (Katie) Kennedy, Kort (Emma Kirk) Kennedy and Kane Kennedy; a great-grandchild, Kashton Kennedy; two brothers, Phillip (Cynthia) Stanfield and Larry (Mary) Stanfield, both of Screven; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Dec. 29 at Jesup First United Methodist Church with Pastor Rebecca Duke-Barton officiating. Interment followed in the Jesup City Cemetery. Active pallbearers were Tripp, Kort and Kane Kennedy, Jimmy Stanfield, Phillip “Fireball” Stanfield Jr. and Wally Orrel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Jesup First United Methodist Church Agape Ministry, 205 E. Cherry Street, Jesup, GA 31546.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Bobby E. Hughes
Jesup—Bobby E. Hughes, 90, of Jesup died on Dec. 23, 2025.
The Valdosta native was a former resident of Liberty County and had lived in Wayne County the past 26 years. He was a 58-year retiree with Interstate Paper Company, where he was known as “Cool Whip.”
He was a very active member of Calvary Baptist Church. He served his Lord by greeting everyone he met with a “holy mint” and a smile in his church, his community and any place he would visit. He would often ask everyone, “Do you know Jesus?”
He also would work in the church kitchen and serve tea, water and lemonade with a prayer of blessing.
His favorite pastime was farming. Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was proud that he worked as an associate for many years.
His beloved wife of 26 years that he named his “Baby,” Carolyn Adams Hughes, preceded him in death, along with his parents, Perry and Irene Hughes; two sons, Rodney E. Hughes and Donald Perry “George” Hughes; and several siblings.
Survivors include his daughter, Teri French of Bluffton, South Carolina, and a son, Fred Michael Hughes of Ridgeland, South Carolina, and their mother, Barbara Ann Barry; several grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; stepchildren, Teresa (Fred) Plitt of Valdosta, Bruce (Suzanne) Adams of Guyton, Pamela (Lou) Roller of Old Town, Florida; and numerous step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Dec. 27 at Calvary Baptist Church with Pastor Pete Boyd and the Rev. Vann Dempsey officiating. Interment followed in Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery. Active pallbearers were George Moody, David Paul, Carl Rozier, Scott Mosley, Fred Holland and John Rogers. Honorary pallbearers were members of his Sunday school class.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist Church Building Fund, 415 E. Cherry Street, Jesup, GA 31546.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Gloria Crowe Dyal
Patterson—Gloria Crowe Dyal, 80, of Patterson died Dec. 26, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. The Alabama native had lived in Wayne County for most of her life and was a 1963 graduate of Jesup High School, and she was a hairdresser and previous owner of Shear Designs. She was a member of Blackshear Church of Christ.
She enjoyed crocheting, boating, fishing and traveling abroad as favorite pastime activities.
A talented and respected cosmetologist in Wayne County for more than 60 years, she was a mentor to six licensed cosmetologists.
Her unwavering faith in God was a true testament of a Christian woman, her family said
She was preceded in death by her former husband of 59 years, David A. Dyal Sr.; a daughter, Rhonda Dyal Spell; a great-granddaughter, Taylor Reynolds; a great-grandson, J.J. James; her parents, Lester and Mary Crowe; a sister, Brenda Moore; and a brother, Bennie Crowe,
Survivors include her husband, Gene Brockington of Patterson a daughter, Mariett (Dustin Wasdin) Dyal of Odum; a son, David (Detta) Dyal II of K-Ville community; a brother, Leslie (Bonnie) Crowe; grandchildren, Tonya (Robert) Nash, Tiffany Todd, Andy (Haley) Harris Jr., Ridge (Shelby) Dyal, Alex (Christen) Harris and Davison Dyal; great-grandchildren, Isaac (Sandra) Reynolds, Arie Williams, Tay Von Morris, and AC and Archer Harris; a great-great-grandchild, Valerie Reynolds; and several nieces and nephews.
A drop-in visitation will be held Jan. 9 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
David James Knopf
Jesup—David James Knopf, 46, of Jesup died Dec. 25, 2025.
He was an American patriot, serving in the United States Army, and was deployed multiple times to Iraq. He continued to build on his education, achieving a bachelor’s degree in business administration health care management and a master’s degree in business administration.
He spent his career after the military working in the health care industry as a paramedic, deputy chief and hospital technician in his community. He also worked in his community on the Search and Rescue Team as a diver and in the fire department. He was fortunate to incorporate his son, David Brandon, into those activities.
David and Jody Lynn had been married for 24 years. Their son, David Brandon Knopf, preceded him in death.
In addition to his wife, survivors include two daughters, Alexis Miyoko Knopf of Brunswick and Paige McKayla Knopf of Jesup; his mother and stepfather, Kayoko and Richard Griessmeyer of Marco Island, Florida; his father, James David Knopf of Chicago, Illinois; a brother and sister-in-law, Brandon and Amber Knopf, and their two children, Nora and Owen, of Sugar Grove, Illinois; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Interment will follow in Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be his family and friends.
Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral is in charge of arrangements.
• Howard & Jones
Erin Lynn McLaughlin
Jesup—Erin Lynn McLaughlin, 45, died peacefully on Dec. 27, 2025, at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, surrounded by her loving family after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer.
A native and lifelong resident of Wayne County, she was born on June 26, 1980. She was educated in the Wayne County school system and graduated as part of the Wayne County High School Class of 1998. She continued her education at Altamaha Technical College, now known as Coastal Pines Technical College, where she was recipient of an associate’s degree, along with several diplomas in a variety of course studies, including computer science and accounting.
She was employed by Walmart for more than 22 years before her health forced her retirement. She was a loyal and dedicated employee who worked hard but was also a loving mother. She cherished the time she spent with her family, and she dedicated herself to them first and foremost
She was strong, simple and forgiving, and her beauty was easy to see from outside and within, her family said. She enjoyed trips to the beach in her spare time to soak up the sunshine, and her laugh was contagious to anyone in the room.
Survivors include her husband, Robert Lindsey Moseley of Screven; four children, Harley Souza of Jesup, David (Abigail) Moseley of Jesup, Mary Souza of Jesup and Tucker Souza of Screven; her mother and father, Molly and Larry McLaughlin of Jesup; five siblings, Robbie (Leslie) Thompson of Jesup, Tamara Jacobs of Jesup, Lisa (Ramon) Damaso of Jesup, Jennie (Allen) Owens of North Port, Florida, and Matthew McLaughlin of Jesup; two grandchildren, Jayden Souza and Micah Souza; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended-family members; and three special grandchildren of her heart, Jaylasha, Lyndsay Grace and Blake.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Jan. 2, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Howard & Jones Funeral Home in Jesup.
A celebration-of-life service will follow at 3 p.m. with the Rev. James Carter officiating. Friends and family members are invited to take part in the celebration with stories of good times spent together.
Interment will be private.
Family and friends may sign the guestbook online at www.jesupfuneralhome.com.
Howard & Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
• Royal
Rev. Dr. J. Richard Woodward
Tallahassee, Florida—The Rev. Dr. J. Richard (Dick) Woodward, 90, of Tallahassee, Florida, died peacefully on Dec. 18, 2025, at his residence.
Born on Aug. 21, 1935, to Leah Elva Woodard (later Woodward) and Joseph Brown in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, he spent his formative years in Avondale, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his mother; his grandfather, William H. Woodard; and his aunt, Grace Woodard. It was there that he dedicated his life to Christ at an early age at his home church, Mount Tabor A.M.E. Zion.
He attended public school in Chester Coun-ty, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Avon Grove High School in 1954, he went on to serve in the United States Army for three years before being honorably discharged. He then earned his bachelor’s degree from Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, and later earned a master’s degree in counseling education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He studied divinity at Duke University. And in 1996, he earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Over the years, he pastored churches throughout North Carolina and South Georgia, ranging from A.M.E. Zion to United Church of Christ to Presbyterian denominations. He later transitioned into missionary work that took him to Kenya and South Africa. As an educator, he was an academic counselor at Guilford College. He taught high school in North Carolina, and he taught middle school. He retired as an elementary school principal in Jesup. He was later elected to the Wayne County Board of Education at the age of 79 and served as chairman.
Outside of academic counseling, his social work extended into the greater community, where he was a member of community advocacy clubs and organizations. While still living in North Carolina, he served as the director of multiple group homes for transitioning and “at risk” youth. When he and his family relocated to Jesup, he became director of the Wayne County Substance Abuse Center. In recent years, among his most notable affiliations were the Optimist Club, Wayne County NAACP and Habitat for Homework.
Fun and funny, loving and strong, smart and humble, tender-hearted and kind, a selfless cheerleader and championship-caliber servant, he was an amazingly engaging and descriptive storyteller, a creative cook, a whittler and writer, and a wonderful musician, especially a singer, his family said. He was a constant source of good counsel, as well as entertainment and joy, to his family and the community, especially to young people.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria J. Woodward, with whom he fell madly in love in 1968; two of his children, Marva Grace and David Wayne; and a number of siblings.
Survivors include his children, Thom J. (Gillian) Woodward and Leah W. (David) Wiley; his grandchildren, Bryan, Tanisha, David Jr., Tyrone, Mary, Jean, Elijah, Journey and David Thomas; siblings; great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.
A wake and viewing will be held on Friday, Jan. 2, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Jesup Presbyterian Church, 297 W. Brunswick St. A praise and worship service to celebrate his life of service will be held on Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. at Bennett Union Missionary Baptist Church, 401 W. Pine St.
Interment will be in the Jesup City Cemetery with military honors following funeral services.
Funeral services will be live-streamed through the website: royalfuneralhomeinc.com.
The funeral home encourages all of those wishing to view the live stream at a later date to save it on their personal devices within the 30-day time frame of the service, as it will be deleted, and the funeral home will be unable to retrieve it after the 30-day time period.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made directly to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Royal Funeral Home Inc. is in charge of arrangements.