NAHUNTA — Letha Tucker went home to be with the Lord Wednesday, December 28, 2022.
Born in Hickox, Ga., April 10, 1927, she was the seventh and only surviving child of Wiley Elbert and Arizona Batten Johns. Schooled in the Brantley County School System, Letha went on to study at Georgia Southern Teachers College during WWII, and before getting her degree, then-Brantley County School Superintendent R.D. Thomas asked her to return home to teach third grade, at Nahunta Grammar School.
At war’s end, she and her husband moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where she attended beauty school and began a career propelling her into world wide recognition in the hair dressing industry. During her career, Letha won three First Place World Titles in hair designs, two First Place titles of North and South America, and more than 75 First Place titles from local hair design competitions.
She became an “International Guest Artist” in hair design, representing various hair product companies and organizations. While in Havana, Cuba, as a guest artist of the Cuban Hairdressers National Convention, Fidel Castro began his coup which later became known as “The Cuban Revolution.”
In the fall of 1958, Letha moved her family back home to Nahunta, to open a salon, there. In 1960, she opened “Letha’s Hair Stylist” of Waycross. She worked under her name until 1989, leaving to work for the Regis Corporation and later became co-owner of “Mane Street Designs in Hair” of Kingsland, and returned to the Brunswick area in 1994 until she fully retired in 2003.
A resident of Nahunta since 1958 and loving mother of three, Letha maintained her residence in Nahunta in order to allow her children to be close to family and friends while completing their formal education in her home county.
Letha is survived by her three children, Tommy Tucker (Angela) of Brunswick, Dona Cox-Cosgrove (Michael) of Kingsland, and DeLon Tucker Warner of Nahunta. Letha also leaves behind nine grandchildren, Wayne Cox, Christian Cox, Jennifer Cox, Eric Tucker, Michael Tucker, Melanie Tucker, Brandon Johnson, Meredith McDonald and Trevor Johnson; 15 great grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and many cousin, nieces and nephews.
Letha was a former member of the Nahunta Junior Women’s and Garden Clubs. At the time of her homegoing, Letha was a member of the Hickox Baptist Church.
The children received friends and relatives beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, January 3 at Hickox Baptist Church. A Celebration of Life Service was at 11 a.m. at the church, with interment to follow at the Bethlehem Cemetery.
Pallbearers were grandsons Eric Tucker, Wayne Cox and Christian Cox, great grandsons Austin Dowling, Chandler Cox and little Christian Cox, and nephew, Jeffrey Johns.
Arrangements were with Frye Funeral Home, Nahunta.
Family and friends may express condolences using the online registry at www.fryefh.com
