U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Billy Lee Tracy
Retired businessman
Billy Lee "Bill" Tracy, 75, of Fair Play, S.C., died Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004, at Hospice House, Anderson, S.C.
Born March 11, 1929, in Carnes, Miss., he was the son of the late James Alvin Tracy and Ethel Panola Tracy. He was the retired owner/operator of Pro-Mote Advertising Specialties, member of the American Legion, member of the Lavonia United Methodist Church and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, serving in the Korean War. He was preceded in death by a brother, James Tracy, and a step-grandson, Tom Landers.
A memorial service will be held today, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Lavonia United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ben Lewis will officiate.
Survivors include his wife, Caroline Davis Tracy of the home; a son, Steve Tracy, and his wife, Robin, of Loganville; two step-sons, Chris Murphy of Monroe and Gannon Murphy and his wife, Nancy, of Cumming; two step-daughters, Sherry Landers, and her husband, Doug, of Peachtree City and Phoebe Lowry and her husband, David, of Snellville; three sisters, Jean Beckham of Atlanta, Dean Humphrey of Charlotte, N.C., and Bennie Upton of Hattiesburg, Miss.; a granddaughter, Haley Tracy of Loganville, and 10 step-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Lavonia United Methodist Church Building Fund, 25 Baker St., Lavonia, GA 30553 or to Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, S.C. 29621.
Hamby Funeral Home of Lavonia is in charge of arrangements.
Bluford F. "Ben" Gantt Jr.
Retired from sales
Bluford F. "Ben" Gantt Jr., 79, of Toccoa, died Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004, at Brown Convalescent Home in Royston.
Born Aug. 17, 1925, in Milton County, he was a son of the late Bluford Franklin Gantt Sr. and Blanche Elizabeth Buice Gantt. He was retired from sales and was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He was a member of Liberty Hill Baptist Church where he was a deacon and member of the Truth Seekers Sunday School. He was a member of the Gideons and had served as choir director at Confidence United Methodist Church.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today, Dec. 28, from the chapel of Whitlock Mortuary. The Revs. Jerry Stowe and Clyde Wade will officiate. Interment will follow at Confidence United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Rt. 2, Box 242A, Eastanollee, Ga. 30538.
Whitlock Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Herald Dean Price
Retired minister
Herald Dean Price, 70, of Eden, N.C., former minster of Toccoa Christian Church, died Friday, Dec. 24, 2004, at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, N.C..
He was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, to the late Samuel Lester and Nelle Stultz Price. He was a member of Central Christian Church and was a retired minister. He was preceded in death by his son, Kelly Price.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Central Christian Church.
Survivors are his wife, Barbara Wilson Price of the home; daughters, DeAn Price of Melbourne, Fla., Bobbie Coyle of Merritt Island, Fla., and Darla White of Ruffin, N.C.; son, Michael Price of Cocoa, Fla.; four grandchildren, Justin Price, Jordan Price, Nathan Coyle and Taylor Coyle.
Memorials may be made to Ozark Christian College, 1111 N. Main St., Joplin, MO 64801.
Fair Funeral Home, Eden, N.C., is in charge of arrangements.
Lela Brown
Centenarian
Lela Brown, 105, of Toccoa, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004, at Schenectady, N.Y.
Born in Atlanta, Aug. 15, 1899, she was the daughter of the late Lawrence and Laura Johnson. She was the widow of Luther H. Brown and a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by two sisters, one brother, three sons and one daughter. She was the last survivor of her immediate family.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 23, at Mount Zion Baptist church. The Rev. Charles M. White officiated. Interment followed in Toccoa City Cemetery.
Survivors include two sons, Eugene Brown of Schenectady, N.Y., and Milton Brown of Albany, N.Y.; six grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Mount Zion Baptist Church Mission and Benevolence Fund.
Moss-Stovall-Neal Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Ruth Lee Barnes
Retired school teacher
Ruth Lee Barnes, of Toccoa, died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Stephens County Hospital.
The daughter of the late Charles and Ola Lee, she was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., and lived the greater part of her life in Stephens County. She attended Toccoa Falls College and graduated from Piedmont College. She taught at Toccoa Falls Elementary School and retired from Big A Elementary School. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church and the Eastern Star where she served as assistant worthy matron. Her husband, Walton W. Barnes, died in 1995.
Funeral services will be held today, Jan. 4, at the Hillcrest Chapel of Acree-Davis Funeral Home. The Rev. Dr. George Dillard will officiate. Interment will follow in Stephens Memorial Gardens.
Survivors include two sons, William W. Barnes of Savannah and Robert Lee Barnes and his wife, Nancy Fowler Barnes, of Clearwater, Fla.; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Acree-Davis Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
H. Reginald Thompson, 84
SWAINSBORO--Funeral for H. Reginald Thompson, 84, district attorney emeritus, State of Georgia and lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army, retired, was held at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 17, 2001, from First United Methodist Church of Swainsboro. The Rev. Benji Varnell officiated. Burial with full military honors was in Swainsboro City Cemetery.
He died Friday, June 15, in Emanuel Medical Center following an extended illness.
Born May 15, 1917, in Emanuel County, Mr. Thompson was a graduate of Swainsboro High School. He attended University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University and graduated from Woodrow Wilson College of Law with the LL.B. degree in 1940. He was a member of Beta Delta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.
Admitted to the Bar in 1940, Mr. Thompson was licensed to practice in all courts of Georgia, U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Courts. He had also been admitted to practice before the Interstate Commerce Commission and U.S. Treasury Department. He was a member of State Bar of Georgia, Emanuel County Bar Association and Middle Judicial Bar Association.
Mr. Thompson entered World War II as a U.S.Army private Feb. 20, 1941, and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant May 15, 1942. He served as chief officer personnel division, AA School, Camp Davis, N.C., from May 1942 until November 1943, classification and assignment officer, AA Training Center, Ft. Stewart, from November 1943 until July 1944. He served overseas from July 1944 until December 1945 where he was establishment and personnel director, G.5 Section, at the Allied Forces Headquarters and Mediterranean Theater of Operations until July, 1945, and executive officer, same section, July 1945-December 1945. There he was awarded Battle Stars for the RomeArno and North Appenine Campaigns, also Presidential Unit Citation and Commendation Medal. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant Nov. 21, 1942; captain, May 28, 1943; major, March 17, 1945; and lieutenant colonel May 14, 1959. He was assigned to Headquarters Third Army, Ft. McPherson, as a member of the Reserve Augmentation Unit as chief, Plans Branch, G-1 Division, that Headquarters with rank of lieutenant colonel, general staff, to June 30, 1964, and transferred to retired reserve as lieutenant colonel June 30, 1964. He retired May 15, 1977, as lieutenant U.S. Army.
He was a member of Sigma Delta Kappa National Legal Fraternity, Swainsboro Lodge No. 244 F&AM, American Legion, Alee Temple Shrine, Veteran of Foreign Wars, Reserve Officers Association of the U.S. Army, Retired Officers Association of the United States, Emanuel County Farm Bureau, Emanuel County Sportsmen's Club and Swainsboro Shrine Club, serving as president of Shrine Club in 1970, and Swainsboro Golf and County Club. He was a former member of Swainsboro Jaycees and Swainsboro Kiwanis Club.
He served as chairman of the executive committee of The Central Bank, Swainsboro. Mr. Thompson was attorney for The Central Bank before becoming full time district attorney.
He was a commissioner from August 1949 to November 1951, and served as special assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Georgia, 1951-1952. Mr. Thompson was solicitor, City Court of Swainsboro (now State Court of Emanuel County) from Feb. 4, 1953, to Sept. 20, 1967. He was appointed solicitor-general (now district attorney) in 1967 by Governor Lester Maddox, and was reelected to the post in the 1968 General Election, again reelected in the 1972 General Election, and reelected in the 1976 General Election and again reelected in the 1980 General Election.
During the time he was district attorney for Middle Judicial Circuit of the State of Georgia, he saw service as a member of the executive board, Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of the State of Georgia and as a board member of the District Attorneys' Association of Georgia, and was a member of National. District Attorneys' Association. He also served on the State Crime Commission, Planning and Goals Committee of the Judicial Council of Georgia, Joint Federal and State Law Enforcement Committee, representative of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia on the state Judicial Planning Committee of the Judicial Council of Georgia, the Criminal Law Advisory Committee of the state Bar of Georgia Designating Coordinating Committee, the Criminal Justice Regional Advisory Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and the Juvenile Advisor Committee.
Mr. Thompson was selected by his fellow district attorneys as outstanding district attorney of Georgia for the year 1980.
He retired June 30, 1982, as district attorney, Middle Judicial Circuit, and was appointed district attorney emeritus July 1, 1982, by Governor George Busbee.
Mr. Thompson was the son of the late Mattie Eva Youngblood Thompson and the late Robert Bragg Thompson. He was widower of Merle Anne Powell Thompson. He was a member of Swainsboro Presbyterian Church , where he was an ordained ruling elder and lay leader of the church.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Rhetta T. Pittman of Swainsboro; a son, John Robert Thompson of Swainsboro; four granddaughters and one grandson.
Pallbearers were John Bragg, Ennis Bragg, Robert Thompson, Garland Thompson, Jay Youngblood, Bill Youngblood, Bill Carmichael and Butch Parrish. Honorary pallbearers were Judge Walter McMillan, Judge Marvin Hartley, Judge Kathy Palmer and Rick Malone.
Peebles-Curry-Durden Mortuary of Swainsboro had charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Julia V. Burke, 94
HAYWARD, Calif.--Graveside service for Mrs. Julia V. Burke, 94, was held at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 14, 2001, from Stillmore City cemetery in Emanuel County. Elder Mike Newman officiated.
She died Sunday, June 10, in Hayward, Calif.
A native of Emanuel County, Mrs. Burke had lived in Savannah before moving to Hayward. She returned to Stillmore to live several years before going back to Hayward. Mrs. Burke was a matron at the Masonic Home in Union City before retirement. She was the mother of the late J.D. Burke and the late Warren Burke.
Survivors include four grandchildren, Roy Clark, Brad Burke, Carol Christiani and JoAnn Dietrich, all of California; and a daughter-in-law, Marlene Burke of Hayward.
Kennedy-Morgan Funeral Home, Hooks Chapel, of Metter had charge of arrangements.
Eldrige 'Shorty' Stapleton, 74
ADRIAN--Funeral for Eldrige "Shorty" Stapleton, 74, was held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 18, 2001, from Rehoboth Missionary Baptist Church near Kite. The Rev. Lamar Kersey officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery.
He died Friday, June 15, at his residence following a brief illness.
A native of Johnson County, Mr. Stapleton was a retired logger.
Survivors include a daughter, Betty Ann Watkins of Kite; four sons, Jack Stapleton, Roy Stapleton and Dale Stapleton, all of Norristown, and Junior Stapleton of Swainsboro; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Peebles-Curry-Durden Mortuary of Swainsboro had charge of arrangements.
Alfred M. Edenfield, 87
LYONS--Funeral for Alfred M. Edenfield, 87, was held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2001, from the chapel of Jones-Stewart Funeral Home. Burial was in Lyons City Cemetery.
He died Saturday, June 16, in Meadows Regional Medical Center. Vidalia.
A native of Emanuel County, Mr. Edenfield had lived most of his life in Toombs County. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a retired construction worker. Mr. Edenfield was a member of Veteran of Foreign Wars and of Mount Shady Baptist Church.
Survivors include a sister, Christine E. Coleman of Lyons; three brothers, Lloyd E. Edenfield, Mandel Edenfield and Runt Edenfield, all of Lyons; a stepson, Hugh C. Tomlin of Vidalia; a stepson, Timmons Tomlin of HmaamJones-Stewart Funeral Home of Lyons had charge of arrangements.
Barbar Felton Wood, 45
BRUNSWICK--Funeral for Barbar Felton Wood, 45, was held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2001, from Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.
He died Monday, June 11, in Southeast Georgia Regional Medical Center.,
A native of Glynn County, Mr. Wood was an instructor for Job Corps. He was a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Survivors include a son, Barbar Felton Wood Jr. of Canoga Park, Calif.; a daughter, Jovanca Wood of Canoga Park; his parents, Lee A. and Sarah C. Wood of Brunswick;' five brothers, Willie T. Wood of Swainsboro, James L. Wood of Brazil, Julius and Samuel Wood of Brunswick and Benny Wood of Brooklyn, N.Y.; five sisters., Eddie Ruth Wood of Toledo, Ohio, Gwendolyn M. Holton and Jacquelyn Jones, both of Brunswick, Sarah C. Wood of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Sandra M. Wood of New York; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Hall, Jones and Brown Funeral Home of Brunswick had charge of arrangements.
