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.