Frances R. Peek
Jesup—Frances R. Peek, 70, died Sept. 13, 2020, at Candler Hospital in Savannah.
She was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in Wayne County, where she lived most of her life. She graduated from business school and was retired as a paraprofessional from the Wayne County school system.
She enjoyed time spent with family and was known as “Maw-Maw” by her grandchildren. She regularly played cards with her ladies group and loved her canine companion, “Red.” She was a member of Jesup First Baptist Church and the Women of Faith Sunday School class.
Survivors include her husband of 45 years, Jimmy Peek of Jesup; daughters, Andrea Pierce and fiancé Dane Graham of Douglas, Candice (Freddie Jr.) Coley of Jesup; sons and daughter-in-law, Danny and Tammie Peek and Shawn Peek of Jesup; grandchildren Aaron, Andrew, Kade, Jacob, Noah, Maggie, Caroline, Caleb, Hallie, and KariAnn; and great-grandchildren, Hadleigh, Addie, Ryder, Ayla Faye and Kye.
Graveside services will be held today (Wednesday) at 1 p.m. at Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery with Dr. Mike VonMoss officiating.
Family will receive friends at the cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Shawn Peek, Danny Peek, Jacob Peek, Noah Brandhurst, Aaron Tyre and Andrew Pierce.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Women of Faith Sunday School class members.
Remembrances are suggested to FBC Jesup Building Fund, 185 S. Brunswick St., Jesup, GA 31546 or to Appling Healthcare Foundation, 163 E. Tollison St., Baxley, GA 31513.
Family and friends may sign the online register at www.howardfuneralga.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Howard Funeral Home of Ludowici.
Laverne Wheelis Spell
Jesup—Laverne Wheelis Spell, 71, of Jesup died Sept. 8, 2020.
The former Appling County resident had lived in Wayne County most of her life and was a member of Little Creek Baptist Church. She was a beautician and enjoyed camping and being a “Nana” to her family.
Survivors include her husband of 55 years, David Earl Spell of Jesup; two daughters, Sherrie (Kevin) Malone of Dublin, Stacey Spell of Jesup; four sisters, Nell Williams of Villa Rica, Faye Scott of Albany, Carolyne Rice of Leesburg and Sandra (Ronald) Daniels of Jesup; a brother, Donnie (Deborah) Wheelis of Screven; two grandchildren, Logan and Chandler Malone; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside funeral services were held Sept. 12 in Little Creek Cemetery with the Rev. Charles Smith officiating.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Clarence Kirkland
Jesup—Clarence Kirkland, 74, of Jesup died Sept. 9, 2020.
The Wayne County native and U.S. Army veteran was a member of Jesup Church of God and the Brenda Madray Sunday School Class. He was a Jesup High School graduate and a 38-year retired Rayonier employee. He enjoyed his family, grandchildren, canasta friends and traveling.
He was predeceased by Christine Brewer, Irene Beard, Theron and Jimmy Kirkland.
Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Irene Poppell Kirkland of Jesup; three daughters, Shirley (Mike) Faulk of Jesup, Lona (Alan) Newbern of Sparks and Miracle Priester of Jesup; two brothers, Tommy Leroy Kirkland and William “Bill” Kirkland, both of Jesup; four grandchildren, Autumn Henderson, Bridgett Woodard, Robbie Moody and Faith Priester; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Sept. 11 at Rinehart and Sons Chapel with Pastor Clayton Dowd officiating. A private family burial will follow in the Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery. Active pallbearers were Kevin Moody, Wayne Priester, Doug Ward, Scottie Poppell, Marc Woodard and Bryan Kirkland.
The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to Hospice of South Georgia.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
William “Bill” Barton
Jesup—William “Bill” Barton, 85, of Jesup died Sept. 9, 2020.
The Bulloch County native and former resident of Bruns-wick had lived in Jesup the past 35 years and was a member of Crossroads Church of God. He served in the National Guard for more than 20 years and was a retired carpenter in the Brunswick union. In his spare time, he loved to fish and enjoyed eating his catch. He didn’t care whether it was saltwater or freshwater fishing as long as he was reeling them in. Some other pastimes were vegetable gardening and hunting.
His wives, Pearline and Virginia, preceded him in death, along with his sister, Ida.
Survivors include his wife, Retha Johns Barton of Jesup; three daughters, Neldia Sinclair of Hinesville, Frances Dicks of Jesup and Treda (Harold) Hodges of Hinesville; four sons, Bill (Shelia) Barton of Tennessee, Steve (Wanda) Barton of Jesup, David Barton of Jesup and Jody (Kelli) Barton of Sardis; a stepdaughter, Anita (Ken) Davis of Jesup; 21 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Graveside funeral services were held Sept. 14 in Jesup City Cemetery with the Rev. Hulet Smith officiating.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Donzell Lewis
Jesup—Donzell Lewis, 84, of Jesup died Sept. 13, 2020.
The Wayne County native was a charter member and deacon of Emanuel Baptist Church, former member and deacon of Jesup Primitive Baptist Church, and retired caustic area operator with ITT Rayonier.
He enjoyed fishing and hunting, especially with the Little Okefenokee Hunting Club. He cheered the Atlanta Braves on, but he was his grandchildren’s greatest fan at their sporting events.
He was predeceased by his daughter, Sonya Lewis Boatright; parents, William Glenn and Lucy Wiggins Lewis; and brothers, Lamar Lewis and Thomas Green Lewis.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, JoAnn Manning Lewis of Jesup; daughter, Melissa (Jay) Beaver of Jesup; son, Donzell Jr. “Donnie” (Melissa) Lewis of Jesup; son-in-law, Brian Boatright of Screven; grandchildren, Dalton, Darrin and Aidan Boatright, Lucy Lewis and Suzanne Beaver; three sisters, Glenna Parker Eubank, Betty Ann Lewis and Janice Smith, all of Jesup; sister-in-law, Juanita Lewis; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held today (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. at Rinehart and Sons Chapel with Elder Thomas Waters and Brother John Hubbard officiating. Interment will follow in Bethesda Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Dalton and Darrin Boatright, Bill, Billy and Stephen Parker, Tommy Hensley, Morris “Buddy” Lewis, Robbie Drury, Hugh Kicklighter and Derek Franklin. Honorary pallbearers will be the Little Okefenokee Hunting Club members, McDonald’s Coffee Club, Emanuel Baptist Church members, Rayonier Caustic Area retired employees, Wayne and Mike Strickland, Georgia Hospice Care nurse, Patricia Lamb, Jim Franklin, Albert and George Hires, Melissa Hires Blanton, Dr. Lance Hendrix, Randall Howard and Randy Lartz.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1618 Waycross Hwy., Jesup, GA 31545 or Georgia Hospice Care, 141 S. Macon St, Jesup, GA 31546.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
William “Bill” Clemons Tresher
Brunswick—William “Bill” Clemons Tresher died Sept. 6, 2020.
He was born Oct. 31, 1950, in Wilmington, North Carolina. “Bill,” as his friends called him, moved to Jacksonville, Florida, at 9 and then to St Simons Island as a junior in high school. He graduated from Glynn Academy in Brunswick before joining the Navy. He later became a resident of Screven for more than 30 years. He loved his family, fishing, leather crafting, and playing the guitar with friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Daphne and George Tresher, and his brother, John W. Tresher.
Survivors include two daughters, Lori Lea Hamm and Erin Kelly Driggers, and three sisters, Daphne Stephenson, Kelly Gunderson and Leigh Rhodes.
Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Cary Grant McCollum
McIntosh, Florida—Held closely in the hearts of his wife and children, Cary Grant McCollum, 83, died peacefully at home on Sept. 5, 2020, after a long illness.
He was a longtime resident of McIntosh, Florida, and known within his community as a savvy businessman, a gifted storyteller who loved a good laugh, and a generous friend and mentor.
Born in Camden County during the depths of the Depression in 1937, he was the middle of five sons to Charles Lee and Mary Trull McCollum. The family were tenant farmers for most of his early life, moving later to Brunswick. He liked to joke that his family moved so often that any time his daddy fired up the truck, the chickens would lie down in the yard and cross their legs. These humble beginnings instilled the value of hard work and a tremendous resiliency in him, which, when combined with his sharp mind and entrepreneurial spirit, led to a lifetime of personal and business successes.
He moved his family to McIntosh from Gainesville, Florida, in 1977 and opened a meat market in the old ice house with the encouragement of Mr. O.D. Huff, who owned the property. He later purchased the entire city block and building, and his Ice House Meat Market was a hub in the community for quality meats, including his smoked sausages, aged beef and hogshead cheese, all of which he served up to customers while entertaining them with stories, jokes and community news. He later sold the store and founded Superior Truck Tops, manufacturing aluminum truck tops which he distributed throughout the state.
He was a man of deep faith in God and love of his country. He was an elder of McIntosh Presbyterian Church and a current member of the Church Session. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and also served many years on the McIntosh Town Council as councilman and later as mayor. Many of his good deeds are known only to those who benefited from them. He possessed a great memory and was instantly able to recall people and events of times gone by.
For many years he taught the Masonic ritual to initiates coming into the Masonic Lodge. His first lodge was R.T. Schaeffer in Gainesville. After moving to McIntosh, he joined Micanopy Masonic Lodge No. 29, where he was active in building lodge membership until health issues curtailed his efforts. On Sept. 4 he was honored by his Masonic brothers for 50 years of service.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Cecil McCollum; son, Benjamin Grant McCollum; and former wife, Elaine Nolan.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Linda Cannon McCollum; daughters, Bobbie (Randy) Robinson, Lindy (Bob) Brounley and Katie (Lee) Deaderick; son, Silas McCollum; grandchildren, Jason (Sandi) Robinson, Cary Brounley, Annie Deaderick, Maggie Deaderick, Mark Deaderick, Grace Deaderick, Analyse McCollum (Marley) Areas, Olivia McCollum, Kerry McCollum; three great-grandsons, Luke, Jake and Isaac Robinson; and brothers, Charles, Clifford and Joe McCollum.
Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, a private family service will take place at 10 a.m. on Sept. 26, and will be live-streamed on https://www.mcintoshchurch.org. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts be made to Hospice of Marion County or to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.
As his wife and the writer of his obituary, I find it difficult to do justice to the embodiment of his intellect, his compassion, his ability to navigate the social circles through which he lived, and the true loyalty and felicity with which he conducted himself. Our memories of him will always be cherished and his stories recalled with great affection and gratitude.
Family and friends may sign the online guest book at rickgoodingfuneralhomes.com.
Rick Gooding Funeral Home Chiefland Chapel is in charge of arrangements.