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. This week there is someone who actually passed away a few weeks ago.

Official Obituary of

Danny Beasley

October 28, 1946 - May 29, 2026

Danny Beasley, 79 of Panama City passed away on May 29, 2026. He was born on October 28, 1946, in Emanuel County, Georgia.

He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. Following his military service, he dedicated 35 years to Lockheed Martin, where he retired as a respected launch supervisor.

A passionate musician, he was a founding member of Danny and The Breakaway Band and shared his love of music with countless audiences over a span of more than 60 years, continuing to play as recently as last year.

He was also a proud member of both AM Vets and VFW, reflecting his lifelong commitment to service and community.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Beasley; parents, Hilmer and Mary Beasley.

Those left to cherish his memory are his son, Bryan C. Beasley; grandson, Brendan C. Beasley; nephews, Richie Breedlove and Nathan Foskey. He is also remembered by his sister, Donna and husband Hugh Foskey, along with 100’s of friends.

A Final Farewell will be held Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 2:00 until 3:00 pm. Mr. Beasley will be laid to rest in the Parker Cemetery on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

Heritage Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Danny Beasley.

    - https://www.heritagefhllc.com/obituaries/Danny-Beasley?obId=48559337

    When this obituary showed up in my inbox, I had no idea that I was related to him.  However, I always read obituaries carefully because a clue could be in any name mentioned, i.e., parents, grand-parents, siblings, in-laws, etc.  That is what happened here.  Nothing was clicking until I saw his brother-in-law's name. It sounded familiar.  Sure enough, he was in my family tree - related to me through the Drakes. This lead me to do some more digging and checking with my knowledgeable cousin, Loraine, and I discovered that I am also related to him and his sister through my Page line!  Believe me, it is a small world in Emanuel and Johnson counties!  

Please join me in offering condolences to Danny's family and holding them in the light.