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UPSON
BEACON
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Funeral Notices
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Mrs. Janette
Bransford Bedford
Mrs. Janette Bransford
Bedford, age 93, of De-
Land, Fla., formerly of
Thomaston, died Saturday,
Nov. 6, at Parkside Health
and Rehabilitation Center
in DeLand.
Joint memorial services
for Mrs. Bedford and her
son, Doug, will be held Sat
urday, Dec. 4, 2021, in the
chapel of Fletcher-Day Fu
neral Home at 2 p.m. Her
remains will be placed be
side her husband, Edwin,
in Upson Memorial Gar
dens. The family will re
ceive friends at
Fletcher-Day Funeral
Home Saturday, Dec. 4,
from 1 p.m. until the serv
ice hour.
Mrs. Bedford was born
at home in Thomaston May
26,1928, to the late Bennie
and Mattie Bell Smith, and
she was a resident of
Thomaston until 2019,
when she moved to Florida
to be closer to family. She
was the youngest of nine
children.
Mrs. Bedford was a
1945 graduate of R.E. Lee
Institute. In 1949, she mar
ried William Edwin Brans
ford, who preceded her in
death in 1991. She was later
married to James Edward
FLETCHER-DAY
(^funeral oKforne
Since 1893
Obituary Line
(706) 648-0008
or go to www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com for up-to-date information
Crystal Hill Monument Co.
Let us help you create a fitting
tribute to a loved one.
706-647-9685
A division of Coggins Funeral Home
Call Ryan Fulghum or Kenny Coggins
24-Hour Obituary Line
(fall ani/fiiiic - day or algid
706-648-1111
Coggins Funeral Home
321 Hannah's Mill Rd. - Thomaston - 706-647-9681
www.cogginsfuneralhome.com
BARNESVILLE
Marble & Granite Company
Serving Middle Georgia for 112 Years
Designers
& Manufacturers of
Marble, Granite
and Bronze
Memorials
Since 1908
Owned and Operated by
George and Janice Moore
770.358.1470
124 Railroad Street • Barnesville
The Upson Beacon (ISSN or USPS 25625)
December 2, 2021 - Volume 14, Number 48
Published Weekly by Upson Newspapers, Inc.
219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, GA 30286
P: 706-646-2382
Subscription Price:
$29 Per Year in Upson County
$39 Per Year in State; $49 Per Year out of State
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The Upson Beacon, 219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga 30286
Debbie McClain
Publisher & Advertising Director • diord@upsonbeacon.com
Bridge Turner
General Manager & Managing Editor • bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Luke Haney
Lifestyles Editor & Digital Media Coordinator• lhaney@upsonbeacon.com
Allie Parnell
Marketing & Sales Manager • aparnell@upsonbeacon.com
Jacob Stewart
Sports Editor & Photographer • sports@upsonbeacon.com
Jean Render
Office Manager & Human Resources • jrender@upsonbeacon.com
The Upson Beacon is proudly published for the citizens of Upson County
by Upson Newspapers, Inc., locally owned and operated by Debbie McClain
and Bridge Turner. Our goal is to produce quality, community-oriented pub
lications of which our readers can be proud. We will attain that goal through
diligence, teamwork, and dedication to printing the truth in an accurate, fair,
balanced, and objective manner.
Policies: Signed letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. We do
not edit for content, only grammar, spelling and punctuation when necessary,
as designated by Associated Press style guidelines. Unsigned, libelous, or
profane letters will not be published. Please limit letters to 400 words or less.
Liability for errors in advertising will not exceed the space occupied by the
error. We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials.
Bedford; they were married
for 12 years and enjoyed a
loving relationship with
Ed’s sons Gary Bedford and
Marshall (Linda) Bedford
and their families.
Mrs. Bedford was em
ployed by B.F. Goodrich
Martha Mills for more than
40 years, and she was a
long-time member of Sil-
vertown Baptist Church.
She will be remembered as
a loving wife and mother
whose family always came
first in her life.
Mrs. Bedford is sur
vived by three sons, Wil
liam Morgan (Patty)
Bransford of Green Cove
Springs, Fla., Jeff (Kathy)
Bransford of DeLand, Fla.,
and Douglas Bransford of
St. Louis, Mo.; three grand
children, Barry, Nicole, and
Whitney; and eight great
grandchildren.
The family requests that
memorial contributions be
made to St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital, 501 St.
Jude Place, Memphis, TN
38105.
Fletcher-Day Funeral
Home is in charge of all ar
rangements. Condolences
and remembrances may be
expressed at fletcherdayfu-
ner alhome. com.
Douglas Keith
Bransford
Douglas Keith Brans
ford, age 61, of Saint Louis,
Mo. and formerly of Thom
aston, was found dead of
natural causes at his home
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021.
Born in Thomaston
Aug. 10, i960, Doug was
the youngest son of the late
William Edwin Bransford
and Janette Smith Brans
ford. A 1978 graduate of
R.E. Lee Institute, Doug ex
celled as a student and was
the 1977 Upson County
STAR Student. He gradu
ated with honors from
Georgia Tech in 1982,
earning a bachelor’s degree
in mechanical engineering.
Upon graduation, Doug
moved to Saint Louis,
where he joined the mili
tary aircraft division of
McDonnell Douglas Corpo
ration, becoming a senior
engineer after the McDon-
nell-Douglas's 1997 merger
with Boeing.
Doug is survived by two
brothers, William Morgan
Bransford (Patty) of Green
Cove Springs, Fla. and Jef
fery Steven Bransford
(Kathy) of DeLand, Fla.
He leaves two nieces
and a nephew, Barry, Nic
ole and Whitney.
Never married and
leaving no children of his
own, Doug always main
tained a loving relationship
with his family and is re
membered fondly as a lov
ing brother and uncle.
Doug's death occurred
only a few days after the
passing of his mother, Ja
nette Bransford Bedford.
There will be a joint memo
rial service for Doug and
his mother on Saturday,
Dec. 4, in the chapel of
Fletcher-Day Funeral
Home at 2 p.m. The family
will receive friends at
Fletcher-Day Saturday,
Dec. 4, from 1 p.m. until the
service hour.
Doug's cremains will be
placed with his parents in
Upson Memorial Gardens.
The family requests that
memorial contributions be
made to St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital, 501 St.
Jude Place, Memphis, TN
38105.
Fletcher-Day Funeral
Home will handle all ar
rangements. Condolences
and remembrances may be
expressed at fletcherdayfu-
neralhome.com.
Mrs. Rose
Meeks Walker
Mrs. Rose Meeks
Walker, age 91, of Thomas
ton, died Saturday, Nov.
20, 2021, at Riverside
Health and Rehab.
Funeral services for
Mrs. Walker were held
Tuesday, Nov. 23, in the
chapel of Fletcher-Day Fu
neral Home. Rev. Travis
Graham officiated and in
terment followed in South-
view Cemetery.
Mrs. Walker was born
in Upson County June 15,
1930, a daughter of the late
Robert Meeks and the late
Thelma Burkett Meeks.
She was employed by
Thomaston Mills in the or
dering department at town
office, where she retired.
She served in the URMC
Auxiliary as a pink lady for
25 years.
She loved caring for her
cats, Scooter, Cricket, Cal-
lie, and Camo. She also en
joyed attending the Silver
Sneakers at the Senior
Center. She was a member
of Valley Grove Baptist
Church, where she served
on the benevolence com
mittee and was active with
the food pantry.
Mrs. Walker is survived
by her daughter, Pam
(Andy) Doss of Thomaston;
and her son, Eddie
(Brenda) Walker of Long-
wood, Fla.
In addition to her par
ents, she was preceded in
death by her husband,
Charles Wayne Walker.
In lieu of flowers, the
family requests donations
be made to the Thomaston-
Upson Humane Society,
P.O. Box 1152, Thomaston,
GA 30286.
Fletcher-Day Funeral
Home was in charge of all
arrangements. Con
dolences and remem
brances may be expressed
at fletcherdayfuneral-
home.com.
Leroy Weaver, Jr.
Leroy Weaver, Jr., age
51, of McCrary Road in
Molena, passed Friday,
Nov. 19,2021 at Upson Re
gional Medical Center.
Funeral services were held
Saturday, Nov. 27, in the
George E. Trice, Jr. Memo
rial Chapel. Pastor Thomas
Willis officiated, assisted by
Rev. Edgar Lamar and
Evangelist Sandra T. Trice.
Interment was in Spring-
field Cemetery.
Mr. Weaver was a
member of Mount Olive
Baptist Church. He at
tended Upson High School
and was formerly em
ployed by McCrary Land
scaping.
He was survived by two
sisters, Ms. Mattie Weaver
of Molena and Ms. Yolanda
Owens of Thomaston; two
sisters-in-law, Mrs. Joyce
Dennis Dixon of Griffin
and Mrs. Addie Dixon of
Molena; a devoted nephew,
Mr. Chris Hutcherson of
Hampton; a devoted
friend, Clarence "CC" of
Thomaston; and several
nieces, nephews, cousins,
and other relatives and
friends.
Trice Funeral Home
was in charge of the ar
rangements.
Mary Lucille Weaver
Mary Lucille Weaver,
age 57, of Avenue G, passed
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Fu
neral services were held
Friday, Nov. 12, in the
George E. Trice, Jr. Memo
rial Chapel. Evangelist San
dra T. Trice officiated.
Interment was in Midway
Cemetery.
Ms. Weaver graduated
from Upson High School.
She was a member of Mid
way Baptist Church, where
she was a former member
of the choir. She was em
ployed by Harborview
Nursing Home as a certi
fied nursing assistant for
more than 20 years.
She is survived by one
daughter, Ms. YKeria
Amos of Thomaston; two
sisters, Mrs. Addie Dixon of
Molena, and Ms. Willie
Pearl Buffin of Thomaston;
one brother, Mr. Robert
Lee Weaver of Molena; one
sister-in-law, Mrs. Iula
Durham of Manchester;
two devoted nieces, Ms.
Sharon Parks and Ms. La-
keitha Dixon; and a host of
other nieces, nephews,
cousins, and other relatives
and friends.
Trice Funeral Home was in
charge of the arrange
ments.
Shooting at
Apartment,
Continued from Front
son both were detained,
according to the report.
The apartment owner
screamed at Morrow, “My
son is not going to jail for
your bulls**t!”
The apartment
owner’s son was released
after further interviews
with witnesses, the report
stated. A search of the
apartment uncovered a
9mm Taurus handgun
with a laser sight, re
ported stolen out of Deca
tur.
Morrow also was
charged with possession
of a firearm by a con
victed felon, possession of
a firearm during commis
sion of certain crimes,
and theft by receiving
stolen property.
Other unrelated ar
rests and charges re
ported by TPD include the
following:
Terry Eugene Trice,
listed as homeless, traf
ficking in heroin (11 gross
grams), illegal possession
of Schedule I and Sched
ule II controlled sub
stances, along with
multiple misdemeanors;
Shaqile Kyrem-Boaz
Murray, possession of a
firearm by a convicted
felon, felony probation
violation (possession with
intent to distribute), car
rying a concealed weapon
without a license, and ad
ditional misdemeanors;
Jatori Lamon Davis,
cruelty to children, along
with multiple misde
meanors;
Jamarcus Cartez
Smith, felony probation
violation (possession with
intent to distribute mari
juana).
Recent arrests and
charges reported by the
office of Upson County
Sheriff Dan Kilgore in
clude the following:
Jacob Tyler Goodin,
two counts of felony theft
by taking, along with mis
demeanor criminal tres
pass;
Tira Lane Manning,
possession of meth-
amphetamine with intent
to distribute;
Wendy Michelle Bur
gess, possession of meth,
along with multiple mis
demeanors;
Richard Allen Wallace,
aggravated assault, pos
session of a firearm by a
convicted felon, posses
sion of a firearm during
commission of certain
crimes, felony obstruction
or hindering of law en
forcement, and manufac
ture, deliver, distribute,
or administer certain
drugs, along with multi
ple misdemeanor traffic
violations. (Wallace pre
viously was reportedly
charged with felony flee
ing or attempting to elude
police officers.)
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