Obituaries for Friday, June 8, 2007

Published 8:28 pm Thursday, June 7, 2007

CLYATTVILLE

Willa Marie Hunter Crawford

Mrs. Willa Marie Hunter Crawford, 76, of Clyattville passed away on Friday, June 1, 2007 at South Georgia Medical Center. Mrs. Crawford was born Sept. 22, 1930, to William Hunter, Jr., and Marie Burgman Hunter. She graduated from Woods Chapel School in 1948, was a member of Woods Chapel AME Church, Women’s Missionary Society, and was an active leader of her community. Mrs. Crawford was Associate Matron, Worthy Matron and Past Worthy Matron, Little David Chapter No. 244 OES, and Camp RELITSO. She was married to Mr. Floyd Crawford for 59 years.

Survivors include her devoted and loving husband ,Floyd Crawford; children, Glenelle Marshall (Bennett) Inglewood, Calif., Rose Marrian Lester (James) Miramar, Fla., Floyd Lewis Crawford (Mamie), Largo, Fla., Kenneth Tyrone Crawford, Lillie Yvonne Bonner, Owen Howard Crawford (Jeanette), Valdosta, Cassandra Bonita Crawford (fiancé Rev. Ernest Davis, Jr., Albany, Ga.), William H. Bonner, Jr. (son-in-law); brothers, Walter Hunter (Johnnie Ruth), Valdosta, Wallace Hunter, Greensboro, N.C.; raised as her little brother, Charles Stacks (Brenda), Aurora, Colo.; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Cambridge, Daisy Crawford, Blanche Crawford, Valdosta; brother-in-law, Leroy Irvin (Pearline), Decatur; 16 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; two godchildren, Tevin and Danielle Terry, Valdosta; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and sorrowful friends.

Special thanks to Dr. Prem Kumar, Dr. Gerald Light, Dr. Aurna Urbonas and Dr. Samuel Taylor; DCA of Valdosta Staff at North Crossing location, SGMC 4-South Nurses, Heritage House, and Joann Black, caretaker.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, 2007, at St. Paul AME Church with the Rev. David Richards III, Pastor, officiating and Presiding Elder David Moore, Eulogist. The family will receive friends from 7-8 p.m. this evening at Woods Chapel AME, 5196 Ousley Road. The body will lie in state at the church from 10 a.m. until funeral service. Interment will follow in Hunter Memorial Cemetery. Donations can be made to Kidney Foundation or American Cancer Society. — Stevens Funeral Home, Valdosta.



CLINCH COUNTY

James Alsa ‘Jim’ Chambers

James Alsa “Jim” Chambers passed away Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 13 days shy of his 80th birthday. He was a lifelong resident of Clinch County. Born to Dorothy Williams Chambers and Thomas Cleon Chambers, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel McGarity Chambers and his brother, T.C. Chambers Jr.

Mr. Chambers attended Emory at Oxford University and graduated from Duke University as a Phi Beta Kappa honors student with degrees in Accounting and Business Management. He was retired from Chambers Home Center, a family-owned business, and later worked for Standard Container Corporation as Director of Transportation.

He was a founding member of the Clinch Industrial Committee and helped recruit Standard Container Corporation, now known as B-Way. He was a pioneer of the blueberry industry in Georgia, founding Chambers Bros Farms in 1978.

Throughout his life he was active in many organizations involving area planning and development, first serving on the Area Planning and Development Commission known today as the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Center. He was the longest serving board member in the nation. In 1993, he was awarded the Liston Elkins Award for distinguished service to Southeast Georgia. He was a member of the National Association of Development Organizations, receiving the Nick Salazar Award in 1980 for the outstanding board member in the nation. He was a long serving member of the Clinch County Tax Assessors Board.

In 1999, the Clinch County Chamber of Commerce recognized him as being the Citizen of the Year. He was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and a devoted life-long member of the Homerville United Methodist Church. He was also a long serving member of the Clinch County Lion’s Club.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in- law, Dorothy Adair and Winston Peterson and several nephews and nieces.

Funeral services for Mr. Chambers will be held Saturday, June 9, 2007, at 11 a.m. at the Homerville United Methodist Church. Visitation will be at Roundtree Funeral Home in Homerville this evening from 7-9 p.m. The Rev. James Davis will be officiating the service. Mary Francis Newton, the Honorable Brooks Blitch, III, and J. Donald Lee will speak. Burial will be held in Pine Forest Cemetery. Active pallbearers are Kenton McLaine, Richard Young, Ryder Godfrey, Paul Tang, Alex Cornelius, Joe Cornelius, Brian Brown, Gerald Smith and Nolan McLaine. Honorary pallbearers include: Willie Hardee, Charles B. Rice, Roy Rhodes, Wink Strickland, Allen Bennett, Johnny Smith, John Bennett, Lace Futch, Frank Creasy, Ray Horner, Paul Barber, Wallace Jernigan, Phillip Manley, Len Robbins, Troy Riberon, W.C. Fender, Jimmy McLaney, Allen Kennedy, Solomon Tolle, Gerard Krewer, Charles Gruver, Jeff Helms, Eric Lutz, Red Gibbs, John Hughes, Phil Martin, Bill Maxwell, Reid Register, Dr. Kuldeep Singh, Steve Conner, and Jeff Brown.

Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at

WWW.RoundtreeFuneralHome.NET — Roundtree Funeral Home, Homerville.



VALDOSTA

Bobbie Jean Miller

Bobbie Jean Miller of Valdosta passed away at her home after a brief illness on Thursday evening, May 31, 2007. She was born Aug. 14, 1938, to the late Charlie and Viola T. Miller. She attended elementary and high school in Valdosta and went on with her education to graduate from Savannah State College. Bobbie taught for 30 years in the Valdosta school system before her retirement.

She was a member of the Georgia Association of Educators and the Georgia Retired Teachers Association.

Survivors include three sisters, Carrie Miller, Chicago, Ill., Louise Turner and Mattie Washington (Jessie), of Valdosta; one brother, Earnest Miller (Sarah) of Rochester, New York; nieces include Bernice Barry (Owen), Valdosta, Louise Marie Wallace (Tony), Miami, Fla., Alma Turner of Decatur; and several other nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was the legal guardian for her late brother’s (Charles Sr.) three children, Charles Jr., Christola, and Carl.

Funeral services will be held at First Antioch Baptist Church, 517 N. Oak Street on Saturday, June 9, 2007, at 11 a.m. Pastor Albert Barfield will officiate. Burial will follow in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta. Visitation will be held at Godfrey Funeral Home, 636 River Street in Valdosta from 2-7 p.m. this evening, June 8, 2007. — Godfrey Funeral Home



NOTICES

Ruby Lee Berrian

Mrs. Ruby Lee Berrian, 73, of Valdosta, passed away on Thursday, June 7, 2007 at LakeHaven Nursing Home. Funeral services are incomplete and will be announced later. — Stevens Funeral Home of Valdosta.



Rocky Neal Thompson Sr.

Mr. Rocky Neal Thompson Sr., 55, of Adel passed away June 6, 2007 at his residence. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 9, 2007, at Adel United Methodist Church with the Rev. Larry Land and the Rev. O.L. Stokes officiating. Interment will be held in Woodlawn Cemetery Annex. Visitation will be held this evening from 6-9 p.m. at Boone-Lipsey Funeral Home, Hwy. 41 South. — Boone-Lipsey Funeral Home, Adel.



Dorothy M. Stafford

Funeral services for Ms. Dorothy M. Stafford, 59, of Adel, Ga., will be Saturday, June 9, 2007, at 1 p.m. at St. James A.M.E. Church,. 315, N. Maple St., Adel. Visitation will be this evening. Interment will be at Adel Cemetery. — Lane Memorial Chapel, Inc., of Adel.



Donival Brown Jr.

Mr. Donival Brown Jr., 48, a native of Hahira, Ga., died June 5, 2007, in New Jersey. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Lane Memorial Chapel, Inc., of Adel.