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The ADVANCE, September 27, 2023/Page 11A
Obituaries
Mrs. Nancy Blair
Mrs. Nancy Leigh Gor
don Blair, age 57, of Soper-
ton, passed away on Friday
afternoon, September 22,
2023, at Wrightsville Man
or in Wrightsville, Georgia.
Bom in Murfreesboro,
TN, she is the daughter of
Annie Faye Manus Gor
don and the late Robert
Lee Gordon. Nancy was a
graduate of Riverdale High
School in Murfreesboro,
Class of 1985. She had
worked in the Fast Food
Industry for many years;
at Krystal and Hardees in
Murfreesboro and after
moving to Soperton, she
worked at Kentucky Fried
Chicken in Vidalia and
lastly at the Dairy Queen in
Soperton.
She enjoyed time gar
dening, working with her
plants and blowing up bal
loons for her grandchil
dren; whether popping
them or simply playing
with them.
Nancy had attended
New Hope Baptist Church
in Murfreesboro.
In addition to her fa
ther, she is preceded in
death by a brother, Jerry
Lynn Gordon.
Nancy leaves behind
her mother, Annie Faye
Gordon, Murfreesboro,
TN; three sons, Jeremy
Blair (Lisa), Soperton, GA,
Markus Blair (Ashley),
Dublin, GA, Brian Blair,
Soperton, GA; a sister, Te
resa Mathis, Shelbyville,
TN; a brother, Michael
Gordon, GA; her husband,
Floyd “Peanut” Blair, Sop
erton. GA; and four grand
children, Chloe, Chase,
Kaitlyn and Hannah Blair;
as well as several nieces and
nephews.
Funeral services will
be conducted in Murfrees
boro, TN, as Nancy is laid
to rest in the Pleasant View
Cemetery.
Sammons Funeral
Home in Soperton is in
charge of arrangements.
Full Paid Obituary
Mrs. Hattie Altman
Mrs. Hattie Lourine
Altman, 87, died on Sep
tember 13, 2023, at the
Community Hospice Inpa
tient Center in Vidalia.
Mrs. Altman was born
in Screven and lived in
Reidsville most of her life
until moving to Vidalia in
2006 with her daughter.
She was a homemaker. She
is preceded in death by her
parents, Austos Maxwell
and Agnes Roberson Wil
son; her husband, Kenneth
Altman; 1 daughter, Linda
Kay Tootle; and siblings,
Aletha Wilson, Conward
Wilson, and Margaret Tyre.
Survivors include her
children, Elizabeth Altman
Glaser (Kenneth Allen) of
Vidalia and Barry Altman
(Melissa) of Reidsville; 1
sister, Mary Goldwire of
Cincinnati, OH; grand
children, Terry Lee Too
tle, Eben Glaser, Madison
Glaser, Olivia Glaser, Kai
tlyn Allen, Olivia Allen,
Bryson Allen, Ella Allen,
Kyle Altman, Brandon Alt
man; great-grandchildren,
Dallas Altman, Remington
Tootle, Jaylin Tootle, Bent
ley Altman, Knyzi Altman,
Easton Altman; and nu
merous nieces and neph
ews.
Funeral services were
held on September 16,
2023, at 2:00 p.m., in the
chapel of Brannen Fam
ily Funeral Services. Burial
followed in Reidsville City
Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers dona
tions may be made to the
services of Lourine c/o
Brannen Family Funeral
Services, 206 N. Veterans
Blvd., Glennville, Georgia
30427.
Brannen Family Fu
neral Services in Glen
nville was in charge of ar
rangements.
Remembering...
Gwendolyn Freeman
1942 - 2004
...you are & will
always be forever
in our hearts!
We will always love you,
Your family...
Wheeler County Pre-K Learns to “Do” School
Courtesy of Wheeler County
Elementary School
Wheeler County El
ementary School Pre-kin-
dergartners are busy learn
ing how to "do" school.
Miss Elder and Mrs.
Chapman’s class practice
staying in their group dur
ing small group time and
rotating between groups
when the timer goes off.
Students learn how to use
Expo markers and small
dry erase boards to pre
pare them for learning
to write their letters and
numbers. Using blue mag
netic drawing boards, the
students practice creative
drawing and work quietly
together. They learn how
to use the tablets to play
educational games which
help them learn their let
ters, shapes, and colors. By
trading puzzles with their
classmates as they com
plete them, the students
practice working coopera
tively.
DRY ERASE BOARDS — L to R: Lila Clark, Trinity Tobler, BLUE BOARDS — L to R: Adrianna Ferguson, Westin Smith,
Diezel McBride, and Ava Menear. William Meadows, Dreleigh Nesbit, Adleigh Berkner.
PUZZLES — Lto R: Oaklynn Cox, Quin Williams, Desire Mc
Bride, Cole Turner, Kirby Horne.
Tablets — L to R: Paxton Nail, Levi Wooten, Paisley Bell,
Nevaeh Jones, Malcolom Pound.
Georgia State Retirees Fight for COLAs
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
UNDERVALUED - Georgia State Retirees Association Sa
vannah Coastal Chapter Representative Laura Ryan
told attendees at the Association meeting in Lyons
that state retirees are undervalued by the state, as evi
denced through the lack of cost of living adjustments in
their retirement income.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Georgia State
Retirees Association, Sa
vannah Coastal Chapter,
met in Lyons on Thursday,
September 7, to discuss the
need for state retirees to
band together in the fight
to receive Cost of Living
Adjustments (COLAs) to
their retirement payments.
The Association has
TAKE UP YOUR
CROSS
BY GARY TOOLE
Recently I
saw a man
carrying a
large
wooden
cross.
Where the
cross was on
his shoulder
he had it
padded and at the bottom
end of it he had a wheel and
while that might be praised
by many it does very tittle to
affect folks attitude toward
Christ and Christianity. They
look at that like anything else.
Like a side show for a cause.
Like someone walking across
America for the cause of can
cer or something. Now, while
I’m not complaining of what
he’s doing there are so many
places he could be going to
minister the gospel in jails,
prisons, detention centers
and alcohol-drug treatment
centers carrying the cross of
Jesus in his heart and sharing
it with others. That’s how
you reach the lost. There’s
less attention on you and
more attention on Jesus than
there is in dragging a wood
cross up the road. I doubt
there’s any that come to
Christ from seeing a man car
rying a cross with a wheel on
the end. It’s possible, but not
probable. When Jesus said in
Matthew 16:24, to take up
your cross and follow me,
then He wasn’t talking about
a cross of wood, but rather
one of sacrifice. Giving of
yourself for the work of
Christ. Thank God for the
cross of Christ, because with
out His death on the cross
then we could not be re
deemed but folks He’s no lon
ger on the cross. He died, was
buried and the third day He
arose and He’s at the right
hand of the father. So, yes
take up a cross. Not of wood
or metal or gold, but rather
one of love for lost souls and
go into the places where
there’s a need and where they
are lost and minister to them
in a real effective way, because
Jesus’s cross was a cross of
love and sacrifice. Can you
three missions: to protect
pensions, obtain COLAs,
and ensure that all retirees
have health care benefits.
According to the group,
inflation has risen in the
state by 41.4% since 2009;
yet, state retirees have only
received two COLAs in
those years - a one-time
1.5% adjustment in 2022,
and a one-time 0.5% ad
justment in 2023.
Meanwhile, the rep
resentatives shared that
educators in the Teacher
Retirement System re
ceive COLAs of 1.5% ev
ery 6 months, other public
school employees in the
Public School Employees
Retirement System (PS-
ERS) got 3% COLAs,
legislators within the Leg
islator Retirement System
receive 2% COLAs, and
judges, lawyers, and dis
trict attorneys in the Ju
dicial Retirement System
received 2% COLAs.
“I know everyone has
felt the effects of infla
tion,” Savannah Coastal
Chapter Member Lorr
Elias remarked. “What has
happened to us in terms
of our loss of any kind of
COLAs compared to what
happened to other groups
- I call it elder abuse.
There is a definition [of
elder abuse] by the World
Health Organization that
says elder abuse is ‘a single
or repeated act or lack of
appropriate action occur
ring in any relationship
where there is an expecta
tion of trust, which causes
harm and distress to an
older person.’ In my per
sonal opinion, we are expe
riencing elder abuse.”
Elias went on to share
that the Association had
formed as a method to
have a voice in legislative
decisions through lob
bying. “[The Association
members] have had to
work hard just to get what
we have gotten recently
in the last two years,” she
added.
According to the As
sociation, currently, two
bills in the state House of
Representatives continue
to threaten the possibility
of future COLAs for state
employees. The group said
that House Bill 824 would
create a new law enforce
ment retirement plan to
be bundled together with
other state retirement
plans and funded through
the same pension fund,
meaning that Georgia State
Troopers and others will
be given significant ben
efits as retirees, which will
reduce or eliminate the
possibility of an adjusted
income. Also, House Bill
746 will allow state retirees
to receive certain amounts
of retirement pay while si
multaneously working a
job, further diminishing
the retirement fund.
In order to fight these
bills, the Association
shared the need for mem
bership, which costs $20
per year. This membership
helps to fund the lobbying
efforts of the group, which
is currently composed of
5,500 members. Through
membership, the group
will also keep everyone in
formed of the happenings
that affect or may poten
tially affect state retirees’
benefits, such as the vot
ing on these bills. Attend
ees were also encouraged
to reach out to their state
senators and representa
tives to share with them
perspectives on the legis
lation, as the Association
representatives confirmed
that they planned to meet
with Senator Blake Tillery
(R-19) ofVidalia at an un
decided date to discuss the
issue.
Savannah Coastal
Chapter Representative
Laura Ryan also empha
sized the difference in bo
nuses and COLAs, stat
ing that bonuses limit the
amount of income that
state retirees may receive.
She shared a story of “Rosie
the Retiree” comparing
the impact of bonuses and
COLAs on a $27,000 in
come per year. According
to Ryan, if Rosie receives
two 1.5% bonuses added to
her income each year, she
will receive up to $40,000
less than she would receive
if she was given a COLA
each year. “This is elder
abuse and it’s discrimina
tion,” Ryan stated. “We are
being undervalued.”
The group concluded
the meeting informing
the audience of the Asso
ciation’s annual meeting,
which will be held on Oc
tober 9-10 in Columbus. A
membership sign-up after
the meeting garnered 12
new members and interest
in forming a local chapter
of the Association.
For more information
on the Georgia State Re
tirees Association, visit the
group’s website at www.
mygsra.com, or email sa-
vannahgsra(a) gmail.com.