Sympathy Saturday

     Sympathy Saturday will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

    For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

    So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree. Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none. We have one this week

    Please join me in offering condolences to her family and holding them in the light.

Nancy Lee Wehring Tapley
28 Mar 1950 - 13 Oct 2026
Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee, USA

Nancy Lee Tapley, age 76, of Cleveland, TN, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2026 surrounded by loved ones.

Nancy was born on March 28, 1950 in Kelso, Washington to John and Dorothy (Johnson) Wehring. Nancy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and pastor’s wife who will be remembered for her faith and lifelong devotion to Christ.

She was raised by her loving grandparents, Edward and Ella Grace Johnson, on a farm where she grew up riding horses and taking care of the animals she loved. She attended Kelso Church of God where she loved to sing and play the piano.

After graduating from Kelso High School, she attended Northwest Bible College from 1968-1969 where she met and married Thomas Tapley on May 23, 1969. She served as a pastor’s wife for 50+ years with God’s calling. She was known for her warmth and kindness, putting others first, and a wonderful sense of humor as she loved to see others smile.

Nancy is survived by her daughter, Sandy; and two grandsons, Zack and Devin. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas, of 56 years; her son, Thomas III; her father, John Wehring; her mother, Dorothy Higbee; and stepfather, Charles Higbee.

A Remembrance of Life Celebration will be held at 1 o’clock Saturday, October 17th at Jim Rush Funeral and Cremation Services North Ocoee Street Chapel {Cleveland, Tennessee} with Bishop Jerry Elder officiating. The family will receive friends Saturday from 11am until 1pm at the funeral home. Mrs. Tapley will be laid to rest beside her husband Thomas at Old Mission Funeral Home and Cemetery, 3424 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67208.

Friday's Face(s) From the Past

 

Carol Addis Richardson
1949-2013

Seneca High School, 1967
Seneca, Oconee County, South Carolina, USA

Thriller Thursday -- Julius Lott Fortner

 

My cousin, Gratice Eve Price (1935-2021), married Julius Lott Fortner (1913-1977) in 1951 in Kite, Johnson County, Georgia, USA.

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Sunday, June 10, 1951, page 11

Gratice and Julius had two children (boys): Lynward, born January 18, 1952 and Guy, born August 7, 1953.  Sometime between the birth of the children and 1965, the family settled in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia, USA. While I do not know the exact reason for the relocation, I do know that Julius retired from Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, so it may have been the job opportunity that led them there.  

(For those not familiar, Central State Hospital is a historic psychiatric institution founded in 1837 and opened in 1842, which grew during the 1960s to become largest mental hospital in the world.  During its height in the 1960s, the campus covered nearly 2,000 acres with over 200 buildings and housed more than 12,000 to 13,000 patients. - Information courtesy of Google Gemini)

Sometime prior to January of 1977, Gratice and Julius divorced.  They both remained in the Milledgeville area.

On December 3, 1977, 64-year-old Julius drove to his brother-in-law's home, also in Milledgeville.  (This was Hubert Price, age 36, Gratice's brother.) Julius shot Hubert with a shotgun as he came out of the home to greet him. Julius's son, Lynward, age 25, who was inside his uncle's mobile home, came out and shot his father in the chest with a pistol.  Julius died instantly.  Hubert survived.  

Less than a year earlier, Julius had exchanged gunfire with deputies and state troopers after Gratice had taken out a warrant for his arrest because he had shot at her mobile home.

While the outside world does not know what Julius was going through, it unfortunately led to a sad, violent ending of his life.  

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 06, 1977, Page 4

Julius was buried on December 6 at Minton Chapel Advent Church Cemetery near Kite.

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 06, 1977, Page 6

A week later, the killing was ruled self-defense, and Lynward would not face charges.  

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 13, 1977, Page 13

So while we don't know the whys, at least in this case, we know the outcome of the case.

Wedding Wednesday

 

Newspapers.com, The Tampa Tribune (formerly Tampa Morning Tribune), Tampa, Florida,
Sunday, July 13, 1952, Pages 37 & 43

Sidney Denny Herndon Jr.
1927-2014

and

Laura Mildred Parker

1930-2008

married
July 12, 1952
Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA

Timeline Tuesday

 Mary Myrtle Schwalls Martin

13 Oct 1915 - 23 Apr 2003

Date/Age	Event	Description
1915	Birth	13 Oct 1915 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1916 10 months	Birth of Sister Emma Lee Schwalls	20 Aug 1916 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1919 Age 3	Birth of Brother Sam Delton Schwalls	03 Sep 1919 Georgia, USA
1920 Age 4	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA Militia District 1452
1929 Age 13	The Great Depression	The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn that started with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until the entry of the USA in World War II in 1941. Unemployment rose to 25% here and as high as 33% in other countries. It was the largest economic downturn in history.
1930 Age 14	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA Militia District 1452
1935 Age 19	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1939 Age 23	World War II	World War II began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.  The war involved most of the world’s powers and was divided into two sides: the Allies versus the Axis. World War II changed the boundaries of war with significant actions against civilians including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. 100 million military personnel were involved in the conflict. World War II was the deadliest war in history with over 70 million casualties. The war ended in 1945 with the victory of the Allies.
Abt 1940 Age 24	Marriage Robert Charles Martin
1940 Age 24	Residence	Nevils, Bulloch, Georgia, USA
1941  Age 26	Attack on Pearl Harbor	The attack on Pearl Harbor was an attack by the Japanese Navy on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The attack by the Empire of Japan was intended to stop the USA from intervening in the war they were planning in South East Asia. Four US Navy battleships were sunk during the attack. Three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer, and one anti-aircraft training ship were also sunk or damaged during the attack. 188 US aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 personnel were killed; and 1,282 personnel were wounded during the attack. The USA declared war on the Empire of Japan after this attack, after which Germany and Italy declared war on the USA. This propelled the United States into the European theater during WWII.
1945 Age 29	Birth and Death of Daughter	Mary Ann Martin 31 May 1945 Coryell County, Texas, USA
1945 Age 29	Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nuclear Bombings	One two nuclear bombs have ever been used offensively during war. The first was detonated on the city of Hiroshima, Japan near the end of World War II on August 6, 1945. The second was detonated on the city of Nagasaki, Japan three days later on August 9, 1945. The bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of approximately 110,000 people, mostly civilians, and the eventual deaths of many more due to injury, acute radiation sickness, and ionizing radiation.
1947 Age 31	Birth of Son Gary Martin	Georgia, USA
1947 Age 31	The Cold War	The Cold War was an extensive period of political and military tension between the Soviet Union and the powers of the Western World, primarily the United States. The tensions began after WWII when the USA and the Soviet Union disagreed about the configuration of the post war world. While the “war” consisted of proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, a nuclear arms race, the race to space, and military coalitions, the primary participants never officially engaged in conflict. The Cold War ended in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
1950 Age 34	Residence	Nevils, Bulloch County, Georgia, USA
1950 Age 34	Birth of Daughter Mary Gale Martin	Georgia, USA
1950 Age 34	Korean War	The Korean War was a conflict between the Republic of Korea supported by the USA and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The war began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. The war ended when an armistice was signed designating the 38th parallel as the demilitarized zone.
1955 Age 39	Death of Mother Vinnie Lee Wheeler Schwalls	19 Aug 1955 Emanuel County, Georgia, US
1955 Age 39	Civil Rights Movement	Bet. 1955-1968 in USA The Civil Rights Movement was a movement, primarily in the Southern United States, aimed at restoring suffrage and outlawing racial discrimination against African- Americans. During this time period non- violent protests and civil disobedience staged by activists created crisis situations for the government. Some notable protests include the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the Greensboro Sit-in, and the Selma to Montgomery Marches. Notable legislation was passed during this time including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, The Immigration and Nationality Service Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
1959 Age 43	Vietnam War	Bet. Sep 1959 - Apr 1975 The Vietnam War was fought between the communist forces of North Vietnam supported by China and the Soviet Union and the non-communist forces of South Vietnam supported by the USA and other allies. The war resulted in large casualties including 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5-2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,159 US soldiers.
1963 Age 48	John F. Kennedy Assassination	22 Nov 1963 in Dallas, Texas. President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife, Jaqueline, in a Presidential motorcade near Dealey Plaza in Dallas. After a government investigation, Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the assassination but was killed before he could stand trial. President Kennedy was succeeded in the Presidency by his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
1969 Age 53	Apollo 11 Moon Landing	Apollo 11 was the first lunar mission of NASA’s Apollo program and the first space mission to land a man on the moon. The “Eagle” lunar module reached the moon on July 20, 1969 after which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr became the first two men to walk on the moon.  It is estimated that 600 million people across the world watched the broadcast of the moon landing. After conducting a number of operations on the moon, the astronauts returned safely to earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
1984 Age 68	Death of Father Samuel Thomas “Sam” Schwalls	28 Aug 1984 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1984 Age 68	Residence	Pembroke, Bryan County, Georgia, USA
1990 Age 74	Persian Gulf War	An armed conflict between Iraq and a coalition of 32 nations after Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The invasion was condemned by the United Nations who launched an offensive led by the United States to push back the Iraqi forces. The coalition of forces invaded Kuwait on February 24, 1991 and a ceasefire was called less than 100 hours after the ground offensive was launched.
1998 Age 82	Death of Sister Emma Lee Schwalls	17 Aug 1998 Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1999 Age 83	Death of Husband Robert Charles Martin	03 Apr 1999 Chatham County, Georgia, US
2001 Age 85	September 11 Terrorist Attacks	The September 11 terrorist attacks were four coordinated suicide attacks on the United States. 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda intentionally crashed two airlines into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third airliner was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, outside of Washington, DC. A fourth plane crashed into a field just outside of rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the passengers and crew fought to retake control of the plane. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks along with the 19 hijackers.
2001 Age 85	War on Terror	07 Oct 2001 in Afghanistan An operation led by the United States and their allies to eradicate Islamic terrorists and militants and the regimes and organizations that supported them. This offensive began shortly after the USA was attacked on September 11th.
2003 Age 87	Operation Iraqi Freedom	On March 20, 2003, the USA and allied forces invaded Iraq in Operations Iraqi Freedom. The operation was intended to rid Iraq of possible nuclear weapons, which were not found. The invasion led to the capture of President Saddam Hussein who was eventually tried and executed. Although the end of hostilities was declared on May 1, 2003, much violence continued and the operation went on with the goal of creating and sustaining a democracy that can fight terrorism on its own.
2003 Age 87	Death	23 Apr 2003 Bulloch County, Georgia, USA