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 two this week

    Please join me in offering condolences to their families and holding them in the light.

Lyneve Wheeler "Lynn or Lynn Lynn" Powell

Sep 11, 1944 - Oct 31, 2026

Funeral services for Lyneve Wheeler Powell, age 82 will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in the Richard N. Stanley, Jr. Memorial Chapel of Stanley Funeral Home and Crematory, with interment to follow at Westview Cemetery. Rev. Randy Adams and son-in-law Jim Dutcher will officiate.

Mrs. Powell was born September 11, 1944, in Swainsboro, Georgia. She was the daughter of the late Duncan Wheeler and Lillie Mae Grizzard Wheeler. She was also preceded in death by her siblings, Delma Logue, Shirley Wilkes, and J.D. Wheeler; 4 half siblings, Maxine Nobles, Jackie Reese, Hugh Dorsey Wilkerson, and Weyman Wilkerson. She was a homemaker. She was a member of Brown Memorial Baptist Church.

“Lil Lynn Wheeler” started singing and playing the guitar at the Peach State Jamboree in Swainsboro at the age of 13. A record producer in Nashville, Tenn, met with her parents for fried fish on a Sunday afternoon and later drove her to Nashville to record two songs he had written for her. She made her own record. She was 14 years old and recorded “Too Small” and “Save A Little Lovin” with Elvis Presley’s band. “Lil Lynn Wheeler” from Kite, Georgia was something else. She played and sang in a weekly line up along with Brenda Lee, Hank Williams, Jr., Mel Tillis, George Jones, etc... She has always been the Star of the show. Mrs. Powell passed away Saturday, October 31, 2026.

Mrs. Powell is survived by her husband, Ambros Powell of Wrightsville; 2 daughters, Donna Dutcher (Jim) of Bonaire and Jann Alligood (Chan) of Dublin; 2 sons, Stan Powell (Anna) of Wrightsville and Chad Powell (Kathryn) of Warner Robins; a brother, McCoy Wheeler (Carmen) of Wrightsville; 10 grandchildren, Benton Dutcher (Andi), Nicholas Durden (Bethany), Chanley Alligood (Bryant), Anna Stewart (Zach), Elynn Alligood, Garrett Powell, Ella Powell, Cole Powell, Wayne Powell, and Laura Powell; 3 great-grandchildren, Kinley Dutcher, Beau Durden, and Janey Stewart; and several nieces, nephews, and friends.

Pallbearers will be Dickie Barber, Mike Barber, Greg Rowland, Kevin Brantley, Shawn Wombles, and Kevin Durden. Honorary Pallbearers will be Garrett Powell, Nicholas Durden, Benton Dutcher, and Bryant Blount.

The family will receive friends from 11:00 A.M. until 1:45 P.M. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the funeral home.

Stanley Funeral Homes and Crematory/Wrightsville Chapel has charge of funeral arrangements. 

Susan (Lynn) Stephens

August 11, 1949 - October 31, 2026

Susan Stephens, beloved wife, mother, and Booshie, passed away on October 31, 2026, at the Community Hospice House in Vidalia after an extended illness. She was born on August 11, 1949, to Aaron and Helen Wood Lynn. She lived all her life in Toombs County and was a 1967 graduate of Vidalia High School. Susan was a member of North Thompson Baptist Church, and attended Higgston Baptist Church. She received an Associate Degree from Brewton Parker College and a Bachelor of Accounting from Georgia Southern University. She worked as a bookkeeper over the years and finished her career at Bishop and Associates in Lyons. In addition to her parents, Susan is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Ronald Stephens; in-laws, Lent and Annie Pearl Stephens; her brother-in-law, James Stephens; her sisters-in-law, Elma Stephens and Patricia Stephens; and her nephew, Jamie Stephens. She is survived by her daughters, Denise and Christy Stephens, and granddaughter, Maribeth Stephens. Also surviving are her brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Teresa Lynn, along with her sister-in-law, Jeannine (William) King; brothers-in-law, Reggie Stephens, Edward Stephens, and Allen (Tonya) Stephens; and numerous nieces and nephews. Susan enjoyed socializing with everyone when she was eating in town and supporting anything in which her daughters and granddaughter were involved. She will be greatly missed by her family, though we are thankful that she is fully healed in Heaven. The family would like to thank the staff of Community Hospice for their excellent support and care of Susan and the family during her illness. The family will receive friends at the Lynn Home at 806 Orange Street and on Monday evening at the funeral home from 5:00 until 7:00. The funeral service will be held on Tuesday afternoon, November 3, 2026, at 3:00 in the chapel of Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home with Pastor Murray Ward officiating. Interment will follow at Pine Crest Cemetery. Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions can be made to Community Hospice Foundation, PO Box 2277, Vidalia, GA 30475. Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home of Vidalia is in charge of arrangements.

Friday Funny

 

Wedding Wednesday

Newspapers.com, The Herald-Palladium (formerly The News-Palladium),
Benton Harbor, Michigan, Friday, October 12, 1973, Page 19

 

Ronald Dwaine Dunham
1926-1987

and

Elaine Joyce Mastin
1946-1996

married 
October 12, 1973
Niles, Berrien, Michigan, USA

Tombstone Tuesday

 

Peggy Ann Nobles Price

buried at
Minton's Chapel Advent Christian Church,
Kite, Johnson, Georgia, USA

Scrapbook Sunday

 As a new feature here on the blog, I present Scrapbook Saturday or Sunday.  This is where I will share family history and vintage scrapbook layouts I have done throughout the years.  I have been scrapbooking since 1999, so hopefully I have a few to share.

The following layout was done in May 2023.  It is my Uncle Bob. 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - An Ancestor Who Had A Life Event on Halloween

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Find an ancestor who has a life event (birth, baptism, marriage, death, or burial) on Halloween (31 October).

2) Tell us about him or her -- who were his or her parents, spouses, children, occupation, residences, etc.

3) Please share your selected ancestor, the historical life event, and your description of your ancestor as a comment on this post, on social media or in your own blog post! Please leave a comment with a link on this post so others can check it out.

NOTE:  No luck? How about a relative? Or a famous person?

Here's mine:  

I ran a custom report in Family Tree Maker 24 (FTM24), and it provided a 10 page report with 141 individuals from my family tree that had an event on 31 October.  

The only direct ancestor who had a life event on 31 October is my 6th great-grandfather, Thomas Avent (1712-1757).

Thomas was born 01 Dec 1712 in Sussex, Sussex County, Virginia, USA. He married Ursula Claiborne (1712-1756) in January 1725 in Virginia. They had 7 known children:  Sarah (1725-1781), Ursula (1729-?), Elizabeth (1733-1790), Mary (1735-1790) (my 5th great-grandmother),  Amy (1736-1762), Winniford (1738-1810), and Milly (1740-1820).  Some time between 1725-1733, after the birth of his first child, he and his family moved to Northampton County, North Carolina. 

He is listed on a Sussex County, Virginia County Militia List as a Colonel. 

Thomas died on 31 October 1757 in Northampton County, North Carolina.  

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 his family and holding them in the light.

Eugene T 'Gene' Tapley

1941-2026

Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia, USA

Gene Tapley passed away on Sunday, October 25, 2026. His life was marked by hard work, perseverance, and determination. With God’s help and an unwavering spirit, Gene overcame several serious illnesses and lived a remarkable life.

Born on June 27, 1941, in Montgomery County, Georgia, Gene was the sixth of eight children born to Blount and Ethel Tapley. He graduated from Vidalia High School in 1962. The following year, he married Betty Davis, and they made their home in Macon, Georgia. Gene worked for Davison’s for eleven years before beginning a twenty-year career with Georgia Power in sales and residential marketing. In 2003, he and Betty moved to Cochran, Georgia, where they enjoyed retirement, established a new home, and formed cherished friendships. A member of First Baptist Church of Cochran, Gene served as an usher and greeter, welcoming others into the church. Gene is survived by his son, Greg (Fran) Tapley of Forsyth, Georgia; his son-in-law, Casey Daniel of Macon, Georgia; his daughter, Erin (Chris) Burch of Hawkinsville, Georgia; five grandchildren, Gibson and Bryce Daniel, Pierce Tapley, and Carl and Gene Davis Burch; four sisters; and one sister-in-law. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Betty Davis Tapley; his daughter, Kris Daniel; two brothers; and one sister. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Mathis Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Cochran. Burial will be in Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to stjude.org or to CureSMA.org The family is at 120 Jeanne Dr., Cochran.