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The ADVANCE, January 20, 2021 /Page 9A
Obituaries
Mrs. Augusta Yates
For I am now ready to
be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand. I
have fought the good fight;
I have finished my course.
My body was tired and
worn out. I am now pain-
free and running on the
streets of gold. I have kept
the faith.
Mrs. Juanita “Nita”
Yates, age 96, went to be
with Jesus on January 12,
2021, after an extended ill
ness.
Mrs. Yates was a na
tive of Chambers County,
Alabama, and lived most
of her life in Lanett, Ala
bama, and West Point,
Georgia. She later moved
to Vidalia, Georgia, in
2013 to be near family.
Mrs. Yates was a gradu
ate of Lanett High School
in 1942. She worked in
retail sales in downtown
West Point for many years
at Woolworth’s, Penney’s,
Kessler’s, and Jacob’s Phar
macy. She also served as
a caregiver for the elderly
and was a volunteer in
the gift shop at George H.
Lanier Memorial Hospital
for 15 years. Nita was a
people person and loved
helping others and being
a friend to all. She had a
wide network of friends
from her jobs, church,
neighbors, social and
civic activities, and living
in the Valley area for 89
years. Nita was a member
of Spring Road Christian
Church, but still main
tained close friendships
with many members of
her former church, Com
munity Chapel Church of
God. Nita was a wonder
ful mother, grandmother,
and great-grandmother to
her children and grands.
In her earlier years, she en
joyed traveling, gardening,
camping with the Valley
Vagabonds, and meeting
new people. She was a for
mer member of the Pilot
Club, Garden Club, Red
W.
Mrs. Linda Gilleland
Mrs. Linda S. Gille
land, age 78, of Vidalia,
died on Monday, Janu
ary 11, 2021, in The Oaks
Bethany in Vidalia after an
extended illness.
Mrs. Gilleland was
bom in Griffin, where she
lived most of her life before
moving to Vidalia in 2011.
She was a homemaker
and a seamstress while in
Griffin. She was preceded
in death by her husband,
Noah E. Gilleland, Jr.;
her parents, Homer Ogle-
tree and Mary Ruth Goss
Ogletree; 1 sister, Myrtice
Hats, West Point Women’s
Club and Lanett Hobby
Club. Nita loved sending
birthday cards to friends
and acquaintenances and
had a propensity to re
member birthdays of spe
cial people in her life.
Mrs. Yates is preceded
in death by her husband
of 70 years, Jesse W. Yates;
father, Isaac Free; mother,
Alberta Lindsey Harrison
Knight; sister, Peggy June
Harrison Lashley; brother,
Tommy Harrison; and two
infant brothers.
Mrs. Yates is survived
by her daughters, Nancy
June Taylor of Austin, TX,
and Joanne Barr (Sam)
of Vidalia, GA; Judy Mc-
Carley Dickinson (Gra
ham) of Auburn, AL; four
grandchildren, Matt Barr
and Ben Barr of Vida
lia, Kate Barr Parkerson
(Matt) of Atlanta, and
McCall Taylor Wascher
(Rickie) of Austin, TX;
great-grandchildren, Jessie
Barr Anderson (Joseph)
and Chase Barr (Katlyn)
of Hazlehurst, GA, Mag
gie and Abby Barr of Vi
dalia, Beau Parkerson of
Atlanta, and the Wascher
girls, Ruby Carole, Ber
tie Lindsey, Olive Taylor,
and June Hart all of Aus
tin, TX. Two great-great-
grandsons, Eli Joseph An
derson of Hazlehurst and
Leo Allen Barr-Correa of
Vidalia, and another great-
grandson due in June, one
cousin, Doris Wheeler So-
thers of Opelika, AL, and
several nieces and neph
ews also survive.
The family would like
to express their sincere
thanks to Mrs. Yates’ care
givers and close friends,
Veronica Hurley and Ce
leste Gabriel.
A Celebration of Life
service for Juanita “Nita”
Yates was held Friday,
January 15, 2021, at 11:00
a.m. ETA in the Chapel of
Bluffton Funeral Services
in Lanett, AL, with Rev
erend David Bradshaw of
ficiating. Following the fu
neral, the family gathered
for her burial at Oakwood
Cemetery in Lanett.
The family received
friends at the funeral home
one hour prior to the ser
vice. In lieu of flowers, me
morial contributions may
be made to the First Chris
tian Church, 312 South 1st
Avenue, Lanett, AL 36863.
Full Paid Obituary
Moore; and 1 son-in-law,
Raymond Coursey.
Survivors include 2
children, Cathy Coursey
of Vidalia, and Keith Gil
leland and wife Manuja of
Alabama; 2 sisters, Betty
Prince of Griffin, and
Elaine Morris of Virginia;
4 grandchildren, Elijah
Coursey of Vidalia, Mae-
gan Thompson and hus
band Tim, Noah Gilleland
and Nash Gilleland, all of
Alabama; and several niec
es and nephews.
A private family fu
neral service was held
on Thursday, January 14,
2021, at 2:00 p.m., in the
chapel of Ronald V. Hall
Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, me
morial contributions may
be made to the Cerebral
Palsy Foundation by visit
ing their website at your-
cpf.org.
Ronald V. Hall
FUNERAL HOME
"Memories, of a Lifetime of Love"
Mr. Jerry Blaxton
Jerry Blaxton, age 72,
of Vidalia, passed away
on Wednesday morning,
January 13, 2021, at Com
munity Hospice House
in Vidalia after a brief ill
ness. Jerry was a native of
Treutlen County and lived
most of his life in Vidalia,
GA.
Jerry had a lifelong
love for all things automo
tive. When he was in sec
ond grade, his teacher fre
quently had to take his hot
rod magazines away from
him so he could get his
work done. Even before he
could drive one himself, he
was repairing cars for other
people. At the age of 20, he
opened his own business.
During those early years,
many autos touted Jerry’s
Speed & Machine Shop
bumper stickers around
town whether they wanted
to or not.
When he reached his
early forties, he transi
tioned to the towing busi
ness and the phrase “I’m on
my way,” became part of his
daily vocabulary.
As anyone who knew
him could tell you, he lived
life large and at full throttle.
There was not much he
would not try, and if he
were going somewhere, be
it a wrecker call or just to
get a bite to eat, he was go
ing there fast.
Over the years, many
people, especially his fami
ly, benefited from the time,
energy, and financial gifts
that he willingly gave them.
For this reason and many
others, his oftentimes larg
er than life presence will be
greatly missed by all.
Jerry is preceded in
death by his father, Meddie
Leon Blaxton; his mother,
Ollie May Durden Blax
ton; and two brothers, Jim
Cooper and Larry Blaxton.
He is survived by his
daughter, Tabitha Berry
(Everett) of Mesquite,
Texas; two grandchildren,
Elaina Berry and Brian
Berry; one brother, M.T.
Blaxton (MaryLou); 5
nephews, including Carl
Cooper; 6 great-nieces and
nephews, including Clint
Cooper; and 6 great-great-
nieces and nephews.
A memorial graveside
service was held 3:00 p.m.
on Tuesday, January 19,
2021, at Blockers Chapel
Cemetery with his son-in-
law, Everett Berry, officiat
ing.
In lieu of flowers, me
morial contributions may
be made in his memory
to the Community Hos
pice Foundation, P.O. Box
2277, Vidalia, GA 30475.
Ronald V. Hall
FUNERAL HOME
"Memories, of a Lifetime of Love"
Full Paid Obituary
Mr. Emerson Williams
Mr. Emerson J. Wil
liams, age 86, of Vidalia,
died on Saturday, January
16, 2021, at Community
Hospice House after an
extended illness.
Mr. Williams was a na
tive of Paw Paw, MI. He en
listed in the Air Force and
was a Korean War Veteran.
After his military service,
he returned
to Michi
gan, moved
to Florida
in 1967, and
made Vidalia
his home in 2016. He was
a butcher and carpenter by
trade. He was a member
of Bible Baptist Church
and the American Legion.
He was preceded in death
by his wife, Roberta Ann
Guest
continued from page 6A
“racist,” subhuman
scumbags.
If Trump’s base is a bit
inured by now to the
outrage over this “sedition”
at the Capitol, perhaps
they can be forgiven. After
all, Joe Biden spent a
whole summer pretending
that leftist riots were not
happening for the sake of
power. He only
“condemned” them after
his hand was forced, and
even then, he had the
chutzpah to blame them
on Trump supporters,
even blaming a Trump
supporter who was
assassinated by a leftist for
his own death. It was the
most vile gaslighting
conceivable.
America is now being
treated to lectures on
“civility” and “democracy”
from these very same
people.
The hypocrisy is
obvious and galling, but
the Left doesn’t care: their
philosophy is “heads we
win, tails you lose.” Those
on the “right side of
history” are permitted to
do anything. On the other
hand, simply taking up
space in the public square
is a provocation if you’re
on the “wrong” side. They
could bash your skull in
with a rock, and the media
would blame you for
getting killed. But so much
as complain about this
crooked deal, and you’ve
engaged in “hate speech”
and you must be
destroyed. Tucker
Carlson’s
formulation summarizes
how arbitrary it all
is: their violence is
“speech,” but your speech
is “violence.” And by the
way, so is your silence.
Endorse the official
narrative, or else.
Yet the Left’s hostility
increasingly has little to do
with matters of conviction,
which can be altered, if
only involuntarily. Amidst
the “reckoning” that began
this summer, the Left
started talking about
whites like they were some
form of disease. We saw
the consequences of this
bizarre trend in practice
after the Left erupted into
war-whooping bloodlust
against the Capitol
“seditionists,” who, they
were disappointed to see,
were not immediately
gunned down in a hail of
bullets. (One of them was,
but this was not enough
apparently.) Presumably
their “whiteness” was a
Bennett Williams; 4 chil
dren, Robert K. Horne
and Arleen S. MacNaugh-
ton-Greer, and 2 infant
children; and 4 siblings,
Pearl Johnson, Nora An
derson, Walt Stewart and
Tony Eli.
Survivors include 2
children, Rose L. Delabar
and husband Carl of Vi
dalia, and Donald Keith
Horne Bennett and wife
Barbara of West Palm, FL;
and 8 grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, me
morial contributions may
be made to Bible Baptist
Church, P.O. Box 1061,
Vidalia, GA 30475.
Ronald V. Hall
FUNERAL HOME
"Memories, of a Lifetime of Love"
count against them.
Biden and his allies
are now abandoning any
pretense of a desire for
“unity” or reconciliation,
as if this event is
what finally convinced
them that Trump is a
fascist whose supporters
need to be marginalized
and silenced. Right.
With Trump gone,
they will use the Capitol
“insurrection” to further
disenfranchise his
supporters without
hesitation. While many on
the Right have condemned
the Capitol protesters,
hoping that by doing so
they will be spared, the
Left has already launched
a propaganda offensive to
convince the public that
what transpired was one
of the worst things ever to
happen in American
history, and the inevitable
consequence of an
aberrational presidency.
Everyone who supports
Trump now, or has ever
supported him, is thereby
implicated in this
“terrorism.”
We find ourselves in
an unsustainable situation.
Millions of Americans
never have felt more
unwelcome in their own
country, more
disillusioned, or more
vulnerable to an
unaccountable enemy that
hates them with a
powerful, homicidal
loathing. Their own party
has unconcealed
indifference and contempt
for them. They’re “racists”
and “conspiracy theorists”
just for existing and having
thoughts and perceptions
that contradict the
propaganda of the people
who want to destroy them.
If they try to defend
themselves by voting,
their votes will be
dismissed as “illegitimate”
and they will be branded
enemies of the public.
When your back is at
the wall and you’re facing
a mob, sooner or later you
have to defend yourself
before they bludgeon you
to death.
What we are
experiencing is the
culmination of an effort to
crush any resistance to the
Left’s power. After years of
bitter counterinsurgency,
the Left finally has their
orange scalp. And they
will want many, many
more.
Matthew Boose is a Mt.
Vernon fellow of the Center
for American Greatness and
a staff writer and weekly
columnist at the Conservative
Institute. His writing has also
appeared in the Daily Caller.
Follow him on Twitter @matt_
boose.
Sports betting bill introduced
in Georgia General Assembly
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Online sports betting
would come to Georgia un
der legislation introduced in
the state House of Repre
sentatives Friday.
Under a bill sponsored
by Rep. Ron Stephens, a
longtime proponent of le
galized gambling, at least
six sports betting opera
tors would be licensed by
the Georgia Lottery Corp.,
paying application fees of
$50,000 and annual licens
ing fees of $900,000.
The operators would
pay a tax of 16% of their ad
justed gross revenues. The
money would go toward
education, including the
popular HOPE Scholar
ships program.
Supporters of legalizing
gambling in Georgia argue
the state is losing millions of
dollars in potential tax rev
enue to illegal gambling.
“Georgia folks are do
ing it now,” said Stephens,
R-Savannah. “All we’re go
ing to do is capture the tax
and put it in the HOPE
Scholarship.”
Previous efforts to
legalize sports betting in
Georgia, as well as casinos
and pari-mutuel betting
on horse racing, have been
handicapped by the require
ment that proposed consti
tutional amendments re
ceive two-thirds majorities
in the House and Senate.
But this year, sports bet
ting is being introduced as a
statute rather than a consti
tutional change. As such,
passing it only requires sim
ple majorities in each legis
lative chamber.
Also, as a statute, the
bill could take effect imme
diately upon the governor’s
signature, rather than having
to go before Georgia voters
in a statewide referendum.
Stephens’ bill would
prohibit Georgians under
age 21 from engaging in
sports betting. Wagering
on high school or college
games also would be forbid
den.
Bettors would have
to be physically located in
Georgia to place a bet, a re
quirement that would be
enforced with geofencing
technology.
The bill is modeled
after online sports betting
legislation that took effect
in Tennessee last fall. In No
vember, its first month, the
Volunteer State generated
$131.4 million in wagers,
yielding almost $2.4 million
in tax revenue.
As a statute rather than
a constitutional amend
ment, Stephens’ bill would
have to go to Gov. Brian
Kemp’s desk rather than
bypassing the governor and
going straight to Georgia
voters.
Kemp opposes legal
ized gambling and could
veto the bill. However,
sports betting enjoys bipar
tisan support in the General
Assembly.
The measure’s cospon
sors include three Repub
licans - Reps. Matt Dollar
of Marietta, Lee Hawkins
of Gainesville and Shelly
Hutchinson of Snellville -
and two Democrats, Reps.
Billy Mitchell of Stone
Mountain and Al Williams
of Midway.
Sports betting also has
the influential backing of
a coalition formed by At
lanta’s four pro teams: the
Braves, Falcons, Hawks and
Atlanta United.