Clarke Co. GA - Obits from the Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald 18 Jan 2001 Thanks for permission from the Athens Daily News /Banner-Herald http://www.onlineathens.com/ ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:23 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Carrie Lee Sailers Orange Park, Fla. Carrie Lee Shelnut Sailers, 100, of 2287 Yellow Pine Court died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001. A native of Jackson County, Mrs. Sailers was a daughter of the late Will and Lena Holcomb Shelnut and was the widow of Walter Henry Sailers. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Merle L. Jones, and by two sons, Donald J. Sailers and Thomas D. Sailers. She was a homemaker and was a member of Harmony Christian Church, Commerce. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Harmony Christian Church with the Rev. Jerry Payne officiating. Burial will be in Jackson Memorial Gardens, Commerce. Survivors include three sons, Jerry R. Sailers and William Lewis Sailers, both of Orange Park, and John W. Sailers, Acworth; 24 grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and great-great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. today at Little-Ward Funeral Home, Commerce. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Bruce W. Hutchcraft Demorest Bruce W. Hutchcraft, 52, died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001. A native of Covington, Ky., Mr. Hutchcraft was a son of William A. and Lois Bundy Hutchcraft, Brandon, Fla. He was a former TV broadcaster and was a real estate and commercial developer. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and was a member of Gideons International and Cornelia United Methodist Church. He was a former member of National Farmers Broadcasters Association, was a national officer of FFA and was a licensed pilot. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Cornelia United Methodist Church with Dr. Robert W. Brown and the Rev. Wayne Smith officiating. Survivors, in addition to his parents, include his wife, Joanna Temple Hutchcraft; a daughter, Cheryl Lynn Edwards, Plant City, Fla.; a brother, William W. ''Bill'' Hutchcraft, Gainesville; nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Gideons International, P.O. Box 855, Clarkesville, GA 30523; to the United Methodist Children's Home, 500 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30030; to the Mayo Clinic, P.O. Box 4003, Rochester, MN 55903-4003; or to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, GPO, P.O. Box 26352, New York, NY 10087-6352. The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. today at Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Elizabeth Atkins Adams Americus Elizabeth Atkins Adams, 88, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001. A native of Cumberland City, Tenn., Mrs. Adams was a daughter of the late Dr. Orman Hensley Atkins and Jesse Parchment Atkins and was the widow of William Moore Adams. She was a graduate of Austin Peay State University and was a homemaker. She was a former member of Statesboro Methodist Church and was a charter member of Pittman Park United Methodist Church, Statesboro. She was a Sunday School teacher, president of the United Methodist Women and was a recipient of the Quiet Disciple Award. Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 in Oak Hill Cemetery, Erin, Tenn. Survivors include a daughter, Sara Elizabeth Adams, Athens; a son, the Rev. Bill Jackson-Adams, Richmond Hill; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the League of the Good Samaritan, Magnolia Manor, 2001 South Lee St., Americus, Ga. 31709. Hancock Funeral Home, Americus, has charge of arrangements. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Lois Woodall Marechale Bradenton, Fla. Lois Woodall Marechale, 85, formerly of Atlanta, died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001. A native of Athens, Mrs. Marechale was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, NARFE and Georgia Gamma Chapter, Zeta Beta Chi Sorority. She was employed by the Atlanta Center for Disease Control for 30 years. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Skyway Memorial Gardens Chapel, Palmetto, Fla., with the Rev. John Gatewood officiating. Burial will be in Skyway Memorial Gardens. Bradenton Funeral Home has charge of arrangements. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Emma Kelly Entertainer SAVANNAH -- Pianist and singer Emma Kelly, the ''Lady of 6,000 Songs'' made famous by the book ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,'' died Wednesday from a liver ailment. She was 82. Kelly's nightclub act, where she tapped her vast repertoire of American popular standards five nights a week until she became ill a month ago, was a must-see for Savannah tourists itching to meet a real-life character from the Southern Gothic best seller. And though the book helped her land performances as far away as New York and Switzerland, Kelly had continued to crisscross south Georgia to play church socials and high school graduations, Kiwanis luncheons and wedding receptions. Before she died at her home in Statesboro, west of Savannah, Kelly had every intention of getting back to her music, said Bill Kelly, one of her 10 children. ''We were talking about the hereafter'' in their last conversation, Bill Kelly said. ''And she kept saying, 'I'm not ready.' I said, 'Mama, what do you mean?' And she said, 'I'm not through playing yet.''' Kelly got her nickname, ''The Lady of 6,000 Songs,'' from her friend Johnny Mercer, the Savannah-born songwriter and lyricist who penned such standards as ''Moon River,'' ''Skylark,'' and ''Come Rain or Come Shine.'' She said Mercer gave her the name by skimming through stacks of songbooks and asking her to play the tunes. He estimated she could play 6,000 songs from memory. ''Emma's labeled as the Lady of 6,000 Songs, but I say Emma should be labeled the Library of Congress. Emma knew a lot of tunes,'' said Ben Tucker, a jazz bassist who regularly backed Kelly. ''And Emma did it without sheet music in her face, ever. I never saw her with a sheet of music.'' Author John Berendt devoted an entire chapter to Kelly in 1994's ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,'' describing her as a teetotaling Baptist who would play cocktail lounges Saturday nights and Sunday school classes the next morning. ''Mama could play it all,'' Bill Kelly said. ''She could play the classical and the spiritual. She wasn't much on country, but she could get into some jazz and the blues.'' Kelly performed at her own nightclub in Savannah, called Emma's, for five years in the late 1980s. She then bounced between lounges near the downtown riverfront. She also independently recorded three albums, the last of which will be released posthumously, her son said. After Friday's funeral in Statesboro, Kelly's family plans a musical celebration at a Statesboro country club where she often played. -- Associated Press Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Janie 'Babe' Bolton Chicago Janie ''Babe'' Banks Bolton died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001. A native of Athens, Mrs. Bolton was a daughter of the late John and Lula Banks and was the widow of Lucius Bolton. She was a member of Hill First Baptist Church, Athens, where she taught a Sunday school class and served as musician for the choir. She was a graduate of Knox Institute, Athens, Spelman College, Atlanta, and Hampton Institute, Virginia, where she received a master's degree in education. She taught music in the city schools of Athens and was retired from teaching in the public schools of Chicago. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Winfrey's Mutual Funeral Home, Athens, with the Rev. A.R. Killian officiating. Burial will be in East Lawn Memorial Cemetery. Survivors include cousins, Katie B. Lumpkin and Arabella B. Murray, both of Athens. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Sherrod W. Hamilton Jefferson Sherrod Wesley Hamilton, 79, of 469 Dickson Drive died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001. A native of Clarke County, Mr. Hamilton was a son of the late William Leonard Hamilton and Emma Lord Hamilton. He was a retired pharmacist and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who served with the Battery B 214th Coast Artillery AA. He was a member of Grace Fellowship Church, Watkinsville. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Evans Funeral Home with the Revs. Terry Ross and Tracy Reynolds. Survivors include his wife, Mellie Anne Hamilton; five sons, Gary Hamilton, Durham, N.C., Jim Hamilton, Villa Rica, Mark Hamilton, Tampa, Fla., George Hamilton and Paul Hamilton, both of Starke, Fla.; a brother, pastor D. Jack Hamilton, Madison Heights, Va.; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Pallbearers will be Fred Glass, Fred Gurley, Alan Hamilton, Jason Hamilton, Jeremiah Hamilton and Joe Loyal. Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 3130, Gainesville, GA 30503-3130. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Eula Mae Gibson Athens Eula Mae LeCroy Gibson, 81, of 139 Alps Road, formerly of Route 1, Canon, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001. A native of Hart County, Mrs. Gibson was a daughter of the late Charles L. and Vesta Fleming LeCroy and was the widow of Grady Gibson. She was a homemaker and was a member of Bethany Baptist Church and the Joy Club. Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Strickland Funeral Home, Hartwell, with the Rev. Chris Carpenter officiating. Survivors include two daughters, Shirley Reed, Cumming, and Jan Adams, Hartwell; a son, Charles Gibson, Canon; four sisters, Emma Snow, Hartwell, Jeanie Franklin, Lilburn, Sarah Bond, Beltsville, Md., and Jo Ann LeCroy, Elberton; three brothers, Howard LeCroy, Hartwell, Alton LeCroy, Portsmouth, R.I., and Leonard LeCroy, Charleston, S.C.; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. The family is at their respective residences. Athens Daily News, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Donald Dee Fortner Athens Donald Dee Fortner, 65, died Monday, Jan. 15, 2001. A native of Kansas City, Mr. Fortner was a son of the late Joseph and Flossie W. Fortner. He was chief of library services at the VA Medical Center in Big Spring, TX, was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was a U.S. Navy veteran. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with Bishop Alan Johnson officiating. The body will be placed in the church at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Barrow Memorial Gardens. Survivors include his wife, Myrtle Fortner; three daughters, Jennifer DePew, Cartersville, Jill Frailey, Athens, and Julie Burns, Savannah; six brothers, Robert Fortner, Louisburg, MO, Joe Fortner, Galmey, MO, Glenn Fortner, Hemet, CA, James Fortner, Kansas City, MO, Richard Fortner, Climax Springs, MO, and Philip Fortner, Rocky Mount, MO; and six grandchildren, Craig, Emily, Alex, Rachael and Samantha DePew of Cartersville, and Harrison Burns of Savannah. Smith Funeral Home, Winder, has charge of arrangements. Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald , Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Angie Sell Freeman Athens Angie Sell Freeman, 86, of Athens, GA passed away Monday, January 15, 2001. A native of Barrow County, Mrs. Freeman was the daughter of the late J.C. and Bertha Sell Burroughs. She was connected for over 26 years with the Food Services Department of The University of Georgia, having retired in 1984. She was a member of Tuckston United Methodist Church. Graveside funeral services will be held at 11 o'clock on Thursday, January 18, 2001 at the Hoschton Cemetery with the Rev. Tom Lang officiating. Survivors include a sister, Thelma Fair, Colbert; grandchildren, Tracy Oldham, Jefferson, Ronnie Hamilton, Palmyra, PA, Jerry Hamilton, Stone Mountain, Terry Hamilton Harwick; four great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2550 North Druid Hills Rd., Suite 275, Atlanta, GA 30329. The family will receive friends Wednesday evening from 6 until 8 at Bridges Funeral Home, Athens. Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald , Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc. OBITUARIES Story last updated at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 Edna F. Wheelbarger Danielsville Mrs. Edna F. Helmintoller Wheelbarger, 81, of 3333 Highway 29 N. Danielsville, Ga. died Tuesday, January 16, 2001 at Cobb Memorial Hospital in Royston, Ga. Mrs. Wheelbarger was born in Selma, VA, June 13, 1918, daughter of the late Louis and Gracie Emore Helmintoller. She was a U.S. Army Veteran, a homemaker and a Jehovah's Witness. Survivors include her husband, Arnold Q. Wheelbarger; a son, Phillip Arnold Wheelbarger, New Hampshire; and a grandchild. Memorial services for Mrs. Wheelbarger will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 20, 2001 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Danielsville, Ga. The family will receive friends following the service. The family is at the home. In Lieu of flowers Memorials may be made to the charity of one's choice. Pruitt Funeral Home in Royston is in charge of arrangements. Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald , Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 Šopyright 2001 Athens Newspapers Inc.