One was the president of the family Ford dealership. Several were beloved pastors and community leaders. Others were teachers, one was one of our oldest citizens and another was a retired Superior Court Judge. One was a “world class” biscuit maker.
Those are just some of Pierce County’s 33 best known citizens who passed away in 2022.
Among the notable deaths this year:
• Bobby Dixon, 82, Jan. 4, longtime owner of Dixon Service Center on Gordon Street in Blackshear.
• Deacon Joseph Derwin Davis, 60, Jan. 8, longtime funeral service assistant at Rainge Memorial Chapel.
• Charles Edward “Eddie” Whitted, 75, Jan. 8, member of the Georgia State Veterans Service Board and a longtime supporter of veterans causes. He was appointed to the Georgia Veterans Service Board by Governor Nathan Deal and was re-appointed by Governor Brian Kemp.
• Fred Marceaux, 83, Jan. 17, former Blackshear Tigers head football coach. Marceaux led the Tigers to the Region 2B championship, the Region 1B and 2B area championships and runners-up in the Southern Championship during his tenure at Blackshear High.
• Pastor Betty Gibson, 54, Jan. 26, beloved local minister, business owner and author. Gibson had served as pastor of the New Gates of Joy Restoration Center for the past 22 years and retired following a 20-year career in public health, mainly with the Pierce County Health Department. She was also a business owner, having owned and operated Betty’s Unique Boutique on Homestead Road. Pastor Gibson was also a published author, having written a book of devotions entitled “Living Forward.”
• Janice Steedley, 74, Jan. 27, owner of Jimbo’s Tavern in Blackshear.
• J.P. Barnard Jr., 93, Feb. 2, longtime Patterson businessman and civic leader. Barnard was the owner and operator of The Barnard Company in Patterson and Barnard Construction Company. He was also a former mayor and city councilman for the City of Patterson.
• Joan Teglas-Duplessis, 78, Feb. 9, office manager at The Blackshear Times and a Patterson City Councilwoman.
• Irene Dixon, 96, Feb. 13, served for over four decades on the Department of Family and Children Services Board, including almost a decade as chairperson.
• Thelma Thomas, 97, Feb. 14, longtime Patterson first grade teacher. Thomas taught at Patterson for over 30 years.
• Cynthia Thornton, 64, Feb. 15, long-time Probate Court Chief Clerk.
• Charles Blount Jr., 100, Feb. 17, was one of Pierce County’s oldest citizens.
• Milton Norras, 87, March 3, was known as “The Band Man.” Norras was a longtime educator in the Pierce County Schools, including as a social studies teacher. He was best known for his love of music and as the band director for Blackshear High School.
• Sheila Lovett, 81, March 7, longtime community and civic volunteer. Lovett was very active in the community, serving in the Blackshear Woman’s Club as a past president, being involved with the Red Hat Society, and volunteering with the Pink Ladies Auxiliary at the Pierce County Nursing Home.
• Randy Williamson, 73, March 12, long-time fixture in the local auto industry. Williamson was affiliated with several local auto dealers including Nimmer Chevrolet and Mike Burch Ford in Blackshear and Crosby Pontiac in Waycross and had owned Randy’s Transmission and the Downtown Tire and Auto Center in Waycross.
• Al Jacobson, 91, March 19, longtime local businessman and realtor. He and his family owned Jacobson’s Department Store in Waycross for many years and he was also in the real estate business for almost 40 years, retiring shortly before his death. He was the long-time director of the Waycross-Ware County area blood drives.
• Edna Hoaglin, 90, April 10, was master biscuit maker at McDonald’s of Blackshear.
• Ezra Williams, 90, May 2, was known for his craftsmanship and was the long-time owner of Custom Cabinets. Williams was known far and wide for his skill as a cabinet maker. He was responsible for the cabinets in the Pierce County Courthouse, many at First Baptist Church in Blackshear, desks and cabinets at CSX, and all the dining tables of the southeast Georgia Captain Joe’s Restaurants.
• The Rev. Dr. Clint Harris, 50, May 11, was the senior pastor of True Life Church (Assembly of God) in Patterson and a former detective with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
• Pastor Larry Hughes, 80, June 19, was the long-time minister at the Journey@Faith Christian Fellowship.
• Peggy Thompson, 68, June 12, was a teacher for over 30 years at Pierce County High School where she taught business education and was the longtime advisor for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
• Steve Waters Jr., 87, May 31, was president of his family’s Ford dealership for several decades before retiring in 2000. He was an active member of the community, serving as a member, officer or both of several civic and community organizations including Blackshear Rotary Club, former member and President of the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, former member of the Blackshear Jaycees, former Chairman of the Pierce County Hospital and Nursing Home Board for 28 years and a former member of the Satilla Regional Hospital Board for 28 years with 15 years as the treasurer.
• Linda Gail Dennison, 74, July 19, served as Blackshear City Councilwoman for District 6. Long-active in community service, she was retired from the Pierce County Board of Elections following a decade of service. She was also a long-time bailiff with the Pierce County Court System. She was the widow of former County Chairman Jim Dennison.
• Bob Courson, 66, July 29, was a local community activist and beloved substitute teacher. Courson was well-loved by local school students as a frequent substitute teacher in Pierce County Schools. Courson lived in a stately home on Main Street and was long active in his community’s civic affairs, including running in an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Blackshear in 2005.
• Ronnie Knowlton, 84, Aug. 3, was a community “bright spot” and local civic leader. Knowlton was active as a volunteer with the Pierce County Food Pantry and the local Disaster Relief Team. He and his wife, Emma Dean, were recognized as Pierce County’s “Community Bright Spot” recipients in 2012.
• Clarence Blount, 96, Aug. 7, was a retired superior court judge. Judge Blount was appointed to the bench of the Waycross Judicial Circuit by then-Governor George Busbee in 1981 and served for 24 years until his retirement in 2004. He had been a senior judge since that time and actively heard cases until about five years ago.
• Walon Smith, 68, Aug. 11, was the Farm Service Agency Director with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Blackshear. He retired from the U.S.D.A with 33 years of service. He also worked as a funeral service assistant with several area funeral homes.
• Delores “Mrs. Dee” Welch, 86, Aug. 13, was a former long-time community columnist for The Blackshear Times. Welch wrote “Dee’s Corner” for The Times for 19 years before retiring at the end of March. She faithfully recorded the church and social events of Pierce County’s African American community with a friendly and cheerful touch and always adding a thought for the week. It is estimated that during her tenure she wrote about 1,000 columns for The Times.
• Allen Lewis Strickland, 73, Aug. 23, owned and operated Lewis Machine Shop for over 40 years. The business was located on U.S. Highway 84 near the Alabaha River Bridge in Blackshear.
• K.T. “Kate” McKee, 59, Aug. 27, was a former copy editor and staff writer at The Blackshear Times. McKee served on the staff of The Times for the past year, focusing mainly on feature stories and editing copy. McKee was an award-winning, veteran journalist and editor from Alaska who also served as an English teacher in The Last Frontier and in Colorado. McKee also held management positions with nonprofits in Wasilla, AK, worked with the disabled and was the city government reporter at the daily Rome News-Tribune in Rome.
• Lenwood Hamilton, 91, Oct. 7, was the former director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service, a director of the former Peoples Bank and long-time community leader. He was a member of the Blackshear Rotary Club for more than 50 years. He was also an avid golfer and member of both Okefenokee and Lakeview Golf Clubs.
• Sam Walker Sr., 69, Nov. 10, served district three on the Board of Education for two terms from 1992 to 2000. Friends remember Walker as someone who never met a stranger and loved to talk to everyone.
• Jerry Smith, 69, Nov. 30, was the 2020 Georgia Centennial Farm Award recipient and lifelong farmer. Smith’s 1,000 acre farm grew from an original 250 acre place purchased by his great-grandfather, Seaborn Smith, in 1867. Smith represented the fifth generation to own the farm. Centennial Farms recognize family farms that have been in existence for at least 100 years.
• Darciel Smith, 96, Dec. 8, was the former co-owner of the original Jot’Em Down store. She and her late husband, G.A. Smith, owned and operated the Jot ‘Em Down Store on Georgia Highway 203. The store, later known as Smith Brothers, served crop dusters and airplanes often landed on the highway next to the store to be loaded with the pesticides. She also volunteered as a member of the Pierce County Nursing Home Auxiliary.
• Brando Britton, 61, Dec. 9, was a community leader and former political candidate for Blackshear Council. Britton began his community activism by campaigning for the local Lions Club to put out flags to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After several years, his efforts were finally rewarded and in 1998, the Lions Club put out the first flags for King Day. He ran unsuccessfully for Blackshear City Council on two occasions, most recently last year.
• Charles Hendrix, 94, Dec. 14, was the founder of C&F Locomotive Services of Offerman (now Progress Rail). Hendrix worked for Atlantic Coastline Railroad for 42 years, retiring as assistant shop superintendent. After retiring, he and his late wife, Ollie Faye Hendrix, founded C&F Locomotive Services in Offerman and later owned and operated H&H Locomotive Leasing.
