Area Obituaries

Mrs. Wilma McCarty Rowell, 84, of Hazlehurst, passed away Oct. 3 at the Community Hospice House in Vidalia. She was born Feb. 20, 1942, in Lyons to the late John and Lexie Bell McCarty. Wilma was a lifelong resident of Hazlehurst and was affectionately known as “the Avon Lady,” a role she proudly held for…

Mr. Clifford “Wayne” Stapleton, 76, of Lumber City, passed away Oct. 1 at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. He was born Dec. 24, 1949, in Hazlehurst to the late Emmett and Ezelle Stapleton. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving during the Vietnam conflict on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt.…

Mr. George Wayman “Bo” Shipes, 75, of Hazlehurst passed away Sept. 25 at Memorial Health in Savannah. Mr. Bo was born May 24, 1951, in Bacon County to the late Dock Shipes and the late Mamie Lunnette Rogers Shipes. He retired from Hazlehurst Mills with 50 years of service as an industrial mechanic. He was…

Mr. Thomas Henry Wooten, 87, of Hazlehurst, passed away Sept. 21 at Community Hospice in Vidalia. Mr. Wooten was born in Jeff Davis County Nov. 18, 1938, to the late Glenn Wooten and the late Evelyn Joyce Wooten. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work, deep family devotion, and an unshakable love for the…

Mr. Joseph Thomas Googe Sr., 86, of Stockbridg, passed away Sept. 13. Mr. Googe was born July 4, 1940, in Baxley to the late Jerry Oneal Googe and the late Alma Oberry Googe and was a member of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in McDonough. He was raised on the family farm and learned the value…

Mrs. Josephine “Josie” McRae Hays, 69, of Hazlehurst, passed away at her residence Sept. 14 under the care of Comfort Care Hospice. Mrs. Hays was born Nov. 8, 1956, and was the daughter of the late Robert Earl McRae and Doreatha Varnadore McRae. She had a sweet disposition and found joy in the simple things…

Ja’Queze Xavier Kirby Jr. was born at 12:07 p.m. Sept. 8 in Douglas. He was 9 pounds and one ounce and was 22 inches long. Ja’Queze Jr. departed this life Sept. 10 at the Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fa. Ja’Queze Jr. was preceded in death by his great-grandmothers Alice “Lisa” Drone and Hilda Valencia,…

Mrs. Wendolyn Reagin Mason, 86, of Aiken, S.C., passed away peacefully Sept. 13. Born Dec. 15, 1939, in Hazlehurst, she was a daughter of the late Aaron Reagin and Bonnie Cleo Quinn Reagin. Mrs. Mason was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend whose greatest joy in life was her family. She cherished every…

Mr. Terrence McCoy, 16, of Hazlehurst, passed away Aug. 5. He was born Sept. 15, 2009, in Baxley, to Terrence Harrison II and Shirley Marie McCoy. Terrence was a student at Jeff Davis High School in Jeff Davis County, where he was loved by his teachers and classmates. He was noted for his abundance of…