Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
Embracing 100
In a world where time is a thief,
some individuals serve as living
links to the past, carrying with them
a lifetime’s worth of memories,
lessons and experiences that shape
the lives of entire generations. One
such remarkable soul is Lucille Se-
gars of Winder, who celebrated her
100th birthday on Nov. 4.
The last of the Greatest Genera
tion, born between 1901 and 1924,
Lucille’s journey through time be
gan in November 1923 when she
was born in Winder to parents Boyd
Harbin and Fannie Healen.
Her earliest recollection is a heart
warming one, reflecting the sim
plicity and innocence of her child
hood. At the age of three or four,
she recalled her father gifting her a
chocolate pig from south Georgia, a
treasure she cherished so much that
she couldn’t bear to eat it. During
the same period, she received a doll
as a Christmas gift, but she left it
outside, where it got rained on,
teaching her an early lesson of re
sponsibility.
Growing up in a family with sev
eral siblings, Lucille was the eldest
among them and was no stranger to
the hard work that accompanied life
on a farm, involving tasks like cot
ton picking and corn pulling.
Throughout her childhood, Lucille
recalls playing games like “I Spy”
and a game she called “Numbers,”
in which her mother would craft
cards from the bottom of a cracker
box and write numbers on them.
Her playhouse at the edge of the
yard also held a special place in Lu
cille’s young heart and where she
and her siblings let their imagina
tions run wild.
Lucille spoke fondly of the fried
peach pies she enjoyed as a child,
made by drying peaches in the sun
for a few days before placing them
on homemade biscuits and deep fry
ing them into fried pies.
Lucille was an intelligent child,
skipping second grade at Cook’s
School before graduating from
Winder High School in 1940.
Living through the turbulence of
the twentieth century, Lucille bore
witness to various historical events.
She vividly remembered hearing
news of the Pearl Harbor attacks
one Sunday afternoon after church
while listening to Franklin D. Roo
sevelt on a small radio. The radio,
she said, would “pop and crack”
before the broadcast became clear.
She also recounted the heartache of
watching parents send off their sons
to fight in World War II. Without
telephones, soldiers had no means
of contact with loved ones while in
combat overseas.
Lucille’s life took a significant
turn when she met her husband,
Edwin Segars, whom she was in
troduced to by his sister when she
was 23 years old. Just two and a half
months later, in 1946, Lucille and
Edwin were married. The couple
had their first child, Janet, in 1948.
Following Janet’s birth, the couple
had a son, Jeff, in 1952. The couple
had their third and final child, Lisa,
11 years later, a pregnancy that took
the 40-year-old mother of two by
great surprise.
Lucille’s children recall being
taught lessons about faith and com
passion for others while growing
up. “We knew what was expected of
us,” said Lisa.
“There’s a lot of lessons I learned
around the dinner table at night when
mom and daddy talked about their
day and shared their experiences
with me,” said Lisa. She observed
immense compassion for others in
her parents, especially those endur
ing challenging times.
Lucille and Edwin enjoyed a har
monious 62-year marriage, marked
by kindness and love. Lucille said
Edwin was a gentle and good-heart
ed man, and their relationship was
built on respect, never witnessing
a cross word exchanged between
them.
Among her many titles, Lucille
was also a career woman and worked
at the Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service, an agency for
the United States Department of Ag
riculture, for nearly 30 years.
In 1987, Lucille’s husband suf
fered a stroke, and she dedicated
the next two decades to caring for
him until he passed away in 2008.
Aside from sending her children off
to college, losing her husband was
one of the most challenging experi
ences in Lucille’s life. Yet, despite
the painful loss of her husband, she
continued to lead a fulfilling life,
surrounded by her family.
Throughout her golden years, Lu
cille has found immense joy in her
grandchildren and great-grandchil
dren, considering them the center
of her world and her legacy to her
family and community.
Lucille has two grandsons and
four great-grandchildren and her
first great-grandchild, Jessa Lucille,
is named after her. What’s more,
Lucille excitedly reported she will
soon have seven great-grandchil
dren as three more are currently on
the way and expected to arrive by
the first of April 2024.
Lucille also enjoys being involved
in her church, the First United
Methodist Church of Winder, where
she has been a member since 1950.
Reflecting on her century of life,
she said she was “blessed with good
health” and attributes her longevity
to her love of fresh vegetables.
She also emphasized the impor
tance of faith, morals and “knowing
what is expected.”
Although her perspective on life,
happiness and purpose has evolved
over the years, she stands firm in
her belief that faith in God and ac
tive involvement in the church are
the keys to a long and healthy life.
Lucille’s life journey has been one
of resilience, love and faith. She has
led by example and witnessed sig
nificant changes in the world, leav
ing behind a legacy of love, com
passion and wisdom gained through
a century of living.
Lucille Segars celebrated her lOOth birthday on Nov. 4 alongside friends and family, who
threw her a party at First United Methodist Church of Winder, where she has been an active
member since 1950.
Lucille circa 1946 (age 23) shortly after Lucille as a school girl,
getting married.
Lucille circa 1940.
Lucille and Edwin on their 50th anniversary
in 1996.
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Lucille, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at her 100th birthday party on
Nov. 4.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CITY OF STATHAM, GEORGIA
Please take notice of the following:
0-23-06 Ordinance to Amend the Charter- Sidewalks
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND SECTION 1.04 OF THE CITY OF STATHAM
CHARTER TO REMOVE FROM THE CORPORATE POWERS THE
AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE PROPERTY OWNERS TO MAINTAIN
SIDEWALKS
At the City Council meetings scheduled for November 21, 2023, and December 19, 2023,
the Mayor and City Council of the City of Statham shall consider an ordinance amending
the Charter of the City of Statham to delete Section 1.04(k) relating to the authority of the
City to require property owners to maintain in a safe condition the sidewalks adjacent to or
adjoining private property.
The meetings will be held at 7:00pm at City Hall, 327 Jefferson Street, Statham, Georgia
30666. The City Clerk shall have copies of the proposed Ordinance amending the Charter
available for public inspection any time during normal business hours at City Hall.
This 25 th day of October 2023.
This 1st day of November 2023.
This 8 th day of November 2023.