• Howard & Jones
James Crawford Sowell
Screven—James Crawford Sowell, 79, died peacefully on Sept. 1, 2026, at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.
A resident of Screven for the past 35 years, he was born on April 14, 1947, in Sylvania. He spent his early years in Sylvania where he learned to operate heavy equipment. He worked for several companies throughout his career in several different places including Kingsland and Immokalee, Florida. After relocating to Screven, he took a job with Wayne County from which he retired many years later because of health reasons.
He was a hard-working man who loved fishing and watching NASCAR in his spare time.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Jenette Sowell; a daughter, Kimberly Sowell Doyle; and a son, James Tommy Sowell Sr.
Survivors include his wife of five years, Martha Louise Davis Sowell of Screven; two sons, Bobby (Dara) Sowell of Brunswick and Eric (Leann) Sowell of Screven; one daughter, Sierra (Jeremy) Manning of Screven; brothers, James (Beth) Varnadoe of Walterboro, South Carolina and John (Jeanine) Slater of North Pole, Alaska; one sister, Lucy (Lee) Thompson of Waynesboro; his former wife of 29 years and mother of his children, Connie Harris; and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended-family members.
A celebration-of-life service will be held at a later date.
Family and friends may sign the guestbook online at www.jesupfuneralhome.com.
Howard & Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Clarice Marie Curtis Jones
Jesup—Clarice Marie Curtis Jones, 90, died peacefully on Sept. 4, 2026, at home surrounded by her loving family under the care of GHC Hospice.
A former resident of Hinesville and Ludowici and resident of Jesup for most of her life, she was born on Aug. 22, 1936, in Hinesville to the late Theron and Ruth Foster Curtis. She worked several jobs throughout her life, including a position at Sea Pack in Brunswick, Wayne Sportswear and also at Jones Kitchen, where she perfected the art of making the perfect biscuit.
She was a longtime member of Altamaha Baptist Church, and she enjoyed working in her yard and taking walks in her spare time. In her younger years, she enjoyed fishing, and she always made sure that her children were some of the most disciplined around. Her favorite times were spent with the ones she loved the most—her family.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 30 years, Roy Landis Jones; her son, Harry Theron O’Neal; a brother, James C. Curtis; and a sister, Grace Hogg.
Survivors include her three children, James “Jimmy” Priest of Jesup, Betty Jean Fisher (Mark Hill) of Ludowici and Lawrence O’Neal of Jesup; a sister, Pat (Andy) Peterson of Rochester, New Hampshire; and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and other family members.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m. at Altamaha Baptist Church with the Rev. Mark Chapman officiating.
Family and friends may sign the guestbook online at www.jesupfuneralhome.com.
Howard & Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
• Rinehart & Sons
Jesup—Billy W. Miller, 90, of Jesup died on Sept. 4, 2026.
The Gilmer County native lived most of his life in Wayne County and was a member of Calvary Baptist Church and the Senior Adult Sunday School Class. He was a retired Rayonier employee who adored his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He enjoyed his retirement years by helping others in need, reading, researching history and exercising with Silver Sneakers. Also known as “Pedro,” he enjoyed attending his grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s activities. including baseball, dance, soccer, swim and parties of all sorts. He will be remembered for his dependability and loyalty to his family and friends, his family said.
Miller was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne Luther and Ella Lee Osborn Miller and his sister, Anne Strickland.
Survivors include a daughter, Tandy (Lee) Smith of Jesup; a son, Andy (Paige) Miller of Gainesville; grandchildren who loved their “Pedro”—Caitie (Jarret) Coleman, Patick (Katie) Smith, Laurel (Carson) Hall, Sarah (Noah) Allen, Jordan (Nathan) Spivey and Olivia Plemons; great-grandchildren, Lily, Grayson and Paisley Coleman, Theodore Smith, Asher Allen and Miller Beck Hall; and several nieces and nephews.
Celebration-of-life services were held Sept. 7 at Rinehart Chapel with the Rev. Vann Dempsey and Pastor Pete Boyd officiating. A private family burial was held in the Liberty Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers were members of his Sunday school class and Silver Sneakers.
Memorials are requested to be made to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105-9959 and Shriners Children’s Hospital, 2900 N. Rocky Pointe Dr., Tampa, FL 33607.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Rudolph M. “R.M.” Beaver Jr.
Jesup—Rudolph M. “R.M.” Beaver Jr., 76, of Jesup died on Sept. 5, 2026.
The Wayne County native was a member and deacon of Jesup First Baptist Church. He retired as a mechanical engineer with Georgia Power (Southern Company).
He was a long-time member of the Jesup Masonic Lodge No. 112, Jesup Royal Arch No. 70 and Sons of the American Revolution and Order of the Eastern Star.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Ruby Bishop Beaver, and his granddaughter, Avery Beaver.
Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Judy Murray Beaver of Jesup; a son, Andy (Ashley) Beaver of Jesup; two granddaughters, Adeline and Amelia Beaver and other extended family members.
Funeral services were held Sept. 9 at Rinehart Chapel with the Rev. Brooks Haddock, Demery Bishop and Elder Jason Deal officiating. Interment followed in Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery. Active pallbearers were Demery Bishop, Fred Bishop, Charles Bishop Jr., Ervin Rogers, Richard Burns and Jim Wheeler. Honorary pallbearers were members of Jesup Masonic Lodge, Royal Arch Masons and Sons of American Revolution.
In loving memory of his granddaughter, Avery Beaver, memorials may be made to the TRISOMY 18 Foundation, P.O. Box 320, Flushing, MI 48433.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Rhonda Ruth Wilcox McCurtain
Atlanta—Rhonda Ruth Wilcox McCurtain, 59, died on Sept. 4, 2026.
Named for her maternal grandmother, she was born in Hazlehurst, the daughter of Ron and Euree Wilcox, and the oldest (and bossiest) of three sisters. She was always showing them the ropes, whether they were riding bikes, climbing forts or exploring sand dunes, and she was sure to give them lots of free advice. (But to her credit, she did not hold a grudge if they didn’t take it.)
Always leading (rarely following), at the age of 8, she led her 6-year-old sister to faith in Jesus Christ. From a young age, her Mama would read books to her and take her to the library. She loved read-aloud time so much that her mother would record books for her on cassette tapes, so that she could still listen to books while her Mama was busy. (Audible had nothing on Euree Wilcox; she would tap a glass of water with a spoon to make a bell sound, so Rhonda would know when to turn the page.) In high school, she would walk down to Mrs. C.W. Collins’ house to see if she could borrow the books on the summer reading list, because Mrs. Collins had the largest library in her small town. Mrs. Collins would have been proud of the library that now exists in her house.
She graduated with the Wayne County High School Class of 1985, and then earned a degree in piano performance and music education from Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida, in 1990. She was beautiful, talented, brilliant, hard-working and ambitious. She sang and played piano beautifully. She represented Wayne County in the Miss Georgia pageant, and then competed again as Miss Altamaha.
She spent several years as an editor and publisher for Community Newspapers Inc. in Toccoa and Cleveland before going to work for their corporate office in Athens, where she became interested in employment law. After earning her Juris Doctor from Mercer University School of Law and becoming member of the State Bar in 2002, she was an associate at Fisher & Philips in Atlanta before she became vice president of human resources and general counsel for Lazer Logistics in Alpharetta.
She married the love of her life, Jim McCurtain, in 2010. His family became her family, and every year, after celebrating their anniversary at the Biltmore Estate, they joined the rest of the McCurtains for family camp at Kanuga, where they were occasionally rebuked for violating quiet hours. The couple resided in Atlanta with a distinguished line of spoiled rescue dogs.
She enjoyed attending live concerts with her husband, hosting her friends and family, playing her 1920s Steinway, skeet shooting, hitting the highway in her convertible, and vacationing at the beach. She loved spending time with her people, showering them with gifts and building their libraries. She was devoted to her family, and she indulged and supported all of her nieces and nephews in their fleeting interests, as well as their serious pursuits.
She was a lover and a fighter (or at least an arguer). Her body was fighting a silent, unknown enemy for some time before it was discovered. Hemochromatosis did grave damage to her organs, and she lost the battle before she could get a transplant. Her family is grateful for a host of providers who fought with her to the end. She was allergic to pain and suffering, but she did not fear death, because she knew that this world was not her home. Her faith in the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ on her behalf gave her confidence that on the day she left this earth, she would be with Him in Paradise. Rhonda has joined her Daddy there, where her Mama says he was probably surprised to see her. She likely found him at the river teaching his grandson, Nathaniel Stone, how to bait a line.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Jim McCurtain; her mother, Euree Wilcox; sisters, Denise (Josh) Stone and Leanne Wilcox; nieces, Angel Hope Watts, Mary Grace (William) Grandy and Rebekah Stone; nephew, Caleb Stone; father-in-law, James McCurtain Jr.; sisters-in-law, Avery (Karl) Zercoe and Liz (Taylor) McCurtain; brother-in-law, Tom (Rachel) McCurtain; nieces, Rebekah McCurtain, Emma and Zoe Horton; nephew, Lucas Zercoe; and special family friend, Teresa Robinson.
She was laid to rest at Philadelphia Baptist Church in Hazlehurst. A celebration-of-life service will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, at 3 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church with Brother Lynn Harris and Dr. Joshua Stone officiating.
Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. prior to services at the church. In honor of her, the family requests that the ladies wear their best Sunday hats to her celebration-of-life service. The family respectfully requests that no floral tributes be sent. Those who wish to honor her memory may donate to the Fistula Foundation or to the organization of your choice. Fistula Foundation: https://fistulafoundation.org.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
• Out of town
Joshua Roger Todd
Folkston—Joshua Roger Todd, 41, of Folkston died Sept. 6, 2026, in Brunswick,.
He was born Nov. 10, 1984 in Blackshear. He was a hardworking man and loved running his own land-clearing business.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents the Rev. Robert Wilson and Arnold and Alene Todd.
Survivors include his parents Roger and Lois Todd and Lisa Nettles and Lee Drury; his brothers, James Todd, Mikel (Mallory) Todd and David Nettles; his son, L.J. Strickland; his grandmother, Pearl Wilson; a stepsister, Debbie (James) Adams; nephews, Brandon Todd (MacKenzie), Jake Todd, Jayden Todd, Jase Todd; a niece, Harper Todd; great-nephews, Weston Todd and Stetson Todd; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives.
Funeral services will be held today (Thursday) at 10 a.m. in the chapel of Shepard-Roberson Funeral Home with Pastors Edward Dixon and Pastor Ronnie Pollock officiating. Burial will follow in Homeland Cemetery.
Condolences may be expressed by signing the guest registry at www.shepardrobersonfh.com.
Shepard-Roberson Funeral Home in Folkston is in charge of arrangements.