William Curtis Strickland
Jesup—William Curtis Strickland died Oct. 15, 2020 after an extended illness.
He was born March 3, 1950. The Ludowici native lived in Wayne County most of his life and was a pipefitter for Chemtall. He loved his Harley-Davidson bikes, his family and his fur babies.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Josephine Sowell-Boehl and John C. Strickland.
Survivors include his wife of 14 years, Cindy Strickland of Jesup; his siblings, John Raymond (Wanda) Strickland, Teresa (Kevin) White, Jeanne Thornton, Michael (Judy) Boehl, James “Junior” Boehl and Don Boehl; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held Oct. 18 at his residence.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge.
Helen Teele Lane
Jesup—Helen Teele Lane, 67, of Jesup died Oct. 16, 2020.
The Americus native lived in Jesup the past 29 years and was a homemaker. She was predeceased by her husband, George Perry Lane.
Survivors include a daughter, Michele Bennett of Jesup; a stepson, Perry Smith of Hortense; two grandchildren, Ashley (Ryan) Porter and Justin (Emily) Krauss, both of Jesup; two great -grandchildren, Zia and LoraLaine; and a brother, Wilson Teele of Jacksonville, Florida.
Graveside funeral services were held Oct. 19 at Arnett Family Cemetery in Hortense with the Rev. Jimmy Dowdy officiating. Active pallbearers were her family.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Gale B. Heckwine
Jesup—Gale B. Heckwine, 87, of Jesup died Oct. 15, 2020.
The Illinois native had lived in Wayne County the past 31 years and was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in the Korean War. He was a faithful member of the American Legion Posts in Illinois and in Jesup for more than 60 years, honoring veterans in their funeral flag presentation services.
He retired from the Caterpillar Manufacturing Company in Decatur, Illinois, after 34 years.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Marilyn Graham Heckwine of Jesup; a son, Carl Heckwine of Jacksonville, Florida; a daughter, Deborah Harrison of Waycross; a granddaughter, Nicole Harrison, and her father, Donnie Harrison, both of Brantley; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Kathleen Lybarger of Illinois.
Graveside funeral services were held Oct. 19 in Sunset Memorial Oaks Cemetery, 1580 Sunset Blvd., Jesup with the Rev. Stanley Todd officiating and the American Legion Post No. 311’s presentation of the U.S. flag. Honorary pallbearers were members of American Legion Post No. 311 and Donnie Harrison.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Eunice Harrison Waters Newcomer
Jesup—Eunice Harrison Waters Newcomer, 90, of Jesup died Oct. 17, 2020, after an extended illness.
The Coffee County native and former resident of Savannah lived in Jesup the past two years, was a graduate of Jesup High School and a member of New Hope Freewill Baptist Church. She also was a charter member of South Gardens Baptist Church in Savannah, where she held various positions such as director of the missionary union and girls’ auxiliary, church historian, and Sunday school teacher.
Her talents for interior design were used when she owned the Sew Shop Interiors in Savannah and then Distinctive Windows in Hilton Head Island. In her free time she loved to bird-watch, hunt, fish and socialize.
Her parents, Alfred “Alf” and Otis Harrison, preceded her in death, along with her first husband and the father of her children, James William Waters Sr.; eight siblings; and two grandchildren.
Survivors include her husband of 24 years, Tom Newcomer of Jesup; two daughters, Marilyn Mizell of Charleston, South Carolina, and Wanda Jo (Dr. Steven) Bischof of Jesup; two sons, Billy (Brenda) Waters of Savannah and Ron (Linda) Waters of Jesup; several grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Oct. 20 at New Hope Freewill Baptist Church with the Rev. Tim Horne officiating. Interment followed in New Hope Cemetery. Active pallbearers were family and friends.
Rinehart and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Allison Cleveland Randolph
Brunswick—Allison Cleveland Randolph, 57, a native of Jesup and resident of Bruns-wick died Oct. 16, 2020, at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
He was born on Nov. 4, 1962, to the late Grover Randolph Sr. and Annie Grace Gamble-Randolph in Jesup.
Known by many of his family and close friends as “Al,” he was educated in the public school system of Wayne County and graduated in the class of 1980. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, watching football and working. Growing up as a young man, he attended Morris Chapel Baptist Church, and he was a loyal employee of the Georgia Pacific Corporation for the past 32 years as a machine operator.
He was preceded in death by his father, Grover Randolph Sr.,and a sister, Patsy Ann Terry.
Survivors include his loving mother, Annie Grace Gamble-Rudolph of Jesup; his children, Christina Randolph of Jesup and Jaquez Randolph and Jaquaylon Randolph, both of Brunswick; his sisters, Gwendolyn Scott and Cynthia Randolph, both of Jesup; his brothers, Darry (Contrena) Randolph of Lawrencville, Grover (Ivory) Randolph of Darien and Anthony (Whitney) Randolph of Jesup; his grandchild, Kaniya Randolph of Jesup; his nieces and nephews, Randolph (Kenyatta) Scott, Karla (Earl) Williams, Ashley King, Donte’ (Charlene) Randolph, Judah Randolph, Jalen Randolph, Ayanna Randolph, Jayce Randolph, Asher Brown and Jeremy Randolph; his great-nieces and great-nephews, Karson Williams, Jaxon Scott, Kaleb Scott, Amerie Randolph and Breanna Bailey; his godchild, Erica Lyons of St. Marys; and a host of aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends.
A viewing will be held today (Wednesday) from noon until 6 p.m. at Royal Funeral Home Chapel, 247 W. Pine Street.
A graveside service will be held on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Sunset Oaks Memorial cemetery, 1580 Sunset Blvd.
Those attending either the viewing or the service are asked to wear PPE, masks and observe the six-foot social-distancing guidelines that have been established by local health officials and the CDC. The family asks to help keep services safe for both you and the people in attendance.
Royal Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Janis Elsie Bennett Richards
Marietta—Janis Elsie Bennett Richards, better known as Widget, died Oct. 7, 2020.
She was born March 9, 1954, in Baxley but lived her early life in Jesup.
Her life was characterized by a giving spirit, boundless in its capacity for caring for others. During her 13 years as an adapted physical education teacher for Atlanta Public Schools, she cared for many disabled children across several schools, teaching them to run, throw and have fun at participating in sports and the outdoors. Her care for each student individually led her to provide basic needs for students such as clothing, food and respite time. She supported her students’ participation in Georgia Special Olympics and took many to the Georgia State Olympic Games at Emory University.
She was a fierce advocate for those with disabilities and battled to begin and improve services for them. She participated in lobbying efforts at the Georgia State capital for expanded Medicaid funding for residential opportunities outside of state institutions. She led the effort to provide handicapped access to the beaches of Jekyll Island, and succeeded in securing funding for placement of several beach access crossovers on the island.
She was a very active individual, participating in tennis at the local level in the south-Georgia region and then on the collegiate level at Georgia Southern University. Tennis was part of her life through out her adult years as she participated in community tennis through her Chimney Springs subdivision teams and other community programs.
She was also an accomplished diver, competing at the state level in high school and then later at Georgia Southern. In her spare time, she bicycled across Georgia 10 or more years with the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, accompanied by her husband and sons. The last several years saw Widget plant and nourish a substantial garden in her Chimney Springs home backyard.
Dear to her heart were her fellow “Teal Sisters,” each battling ovarian cancer. With a fellow Teal Sister, she established a prayer shawl ministry, crocheting and then mailing more than 150 prayer shawls to women battling this cancer. She established deep friendships through a wonderful Montana retreat for women with ovarian cancer, and followed those friends until the day she died.
Widget described herself as a “mamma bear” as she fought for services for her sons with disabilities.
She loved her three sons with passion and dedication. Her family was her life, and her home and daily activities reflected that. Her concern for her son with Down syndrome prevented her from traveling too far to return quickly.
She was also a believer in salvation through Jesus Christ.
She was predeceased by her parents, Dr. Lawrence and Jann Bennett of Jesup.
Survivors include her husband of 39 years, John Richards; sons, Nicholas Richards, Thomas Richards and Mark (Robyn) Richards; grandson, Maddox Richards; and sisters, Julie Sample, Jody Reichel and Margaret Missel.
No public services are planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for support of Loving Arms Cancer Outreach Inc., located in Marietta.
Woodstock Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
James Quinton Patterson
Whittier—James Quinton Patterson, 68, died Sept. 25, 2020.
He was born Feb. 28, 1952, in Jesup to the late George Patterson and the late Opal Harris Patterson. He had made his home in Cherokee, North Carolina, for most of his life. In his younger days, he enjoyed fishing, and as the years went by, he would pass his time by eating German chocolate cake and by cooking the best boiled peanuts one could imagine and selling them as a roadside vendor.
He enjoyed attending vintage car shows and spending quality time with his family.
He made sure to read and study the Bible, and he attended Victory Baptist Church in Bryson City, North Carolina, where the late Pastor Tom Harris served not only as his pastor but also as a mentor and friend. In the words of his daughter, “He is the best Daddy I could ever ask for.”
He is survived by many who loved him and cherished his friendship.
Crawford/Ray Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge of services.
Franklin Floyd
Vidalia—Franklin Floyd, 76, of Vidalia died Oct. 18, 2020, in Meadows Health in Vidalia after an extended illness.
He was born in Dublin, raised in Jesup and was a 1961 graduate of Jesup High School, where he was drum major. He attended Middle Georgia College in Cochran and Georgia Southern College, where he was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity.
He served in the Army National Guard and was a member of the American Legion. He was in the propane industry for 35 years, including as store manager of Ferrell Gas of Vidalia. He was past president of the Coffee County Jaycees and was a life member of the Elks. He was a life member of the Vidalia/Lyons Moose Lodge No. 1281, having served two terms as governor; he was serving his third term at the time of his death. He was chosen Moose of the Year in 2015.
He attended the First United Methodist Church of Jesup.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James Franklin Floyd, Sr. and Wilhelmena Greenway Floyd.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Deanna Dowdy Floyd of Vidalia; three sons, James F. (Sandra) Floyd III of Lyons, John (Deana) Floyd of Claxton, and Jason Floyd of Vidalia; one brother, John Wayne (Tracy) Floyd of Ailey; four grandchildren, Hunter Floyd, Lauren Floyd, Jenna Floyd and Allie Floyd; and several nieces and nephews.
A graveside funeral service will be held today (Wednesday) at 11 a.m. in Lakeview Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Jim Smith officiating.
Those desiring may make memorial contributions to Moose Haven or Moose Heart, P.O. Box 544, Vidalia, GA 30475.
Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home of Vidalia is in charge of arrangements.