Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
Deaths
Thomas B. “Bill” Flurry
Bill Flurry sang and taught
about his Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ for many years. On May
19, 2008, he went home to live
with Him forever. His earthly
pilgrimage began on Nov. 20,
1932, in Bernice, La., when he
was bom to Clifton and Oclee
Flurry. He was welcomed by
three sisters, Helen Marie,
Virginia and Dorothy. What a
grand reunion he had with all of
them as they awaited him in
Heaven.
He leaves behind to join him
later a devoted wife, Marilyn;
daughter, Angela of W.
Hollywood, Calif.; daughter,
Melinda and husband, Michael
Wayt of Memphis, Tenn.; son,
Jason and wife, Natalie of
Canton; and five grandsons
who brought him much joy,
Logan Flurry, Chandler Abbott,
Theo Wayt, Matthew Flurry and
David Flurry. Also surviving
are mother-in-law. Myrtle Anna
Beasley; brother-in-law, Neal
Reeves; brother-in-law, Curtis
Lee and wife, Ruth Ellen; sis
ter-in-law, Mattie Ruth Tipton
and husband, Jerry; as well as
nephews, nieces, cousins and
many close friends.
His wonderful sense of
humor and positive attitude for
life will be a lasting legacy to
all who knew him. He used his
special gifts of singing, teach¬
ing and entertaining to touch
untold numbers of people with
God’s love. Much of his min¬
istry was through The Joyful
Noise Christian Supper clubs
which he pioneered and operat¬
ed from 1974 to 1994. With
locations in East Point,
Suwanee. Rome and Honolulu,
guest artists and visitors came
from all across the nation and
other countries as well.
After closing the last club,
he and wife, Marilyn, traveled
the Southeast presenting pro¬
grams for senior adults and
retiree groups. Over the years,
they recorded 40 albums, tapes
and CD’s as The Flurrys.
While music has always been
an integral part, he enjoyed an
exciting journey through life.
After graduating from high
school in El Dorado, Ark., he
attended Southern State College
in Magnolia, Ark. During col¬
lege, he signed a contract with
the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball
team as a right-handed pitcher.
While he was building his
career in their minor league
program, he was drafted into
the Army and served two years
in Germany. During his military
service, he played baseball for
the U.S. Army teams.
After his discharge, he
chose to enter the business
world and enjoyed success in
the life insurance field and later
formed his own self-motivation
business in Little Rock, Ark.
Later he served as vice presi¬
dent of sales for Elba Systems
in Denver, Colo. Though his
career soared, he felt unfulfilled
and in 1973, he felt the Lord
gave him a vision of a supper
club setting where Christian
families could enjoy and
evening of gospel music, good
food and fellowship with no
fear of offensive behavior or
language. With the support of
friends, The Joyful Noise was
launched in 1974. Bill was a
member of First Redeemer
Church in Cumming where he
served as a deacon and Sunday
School teacher of The Upper
Class Bible Fellowship, a
group very dear to his heart.
He and his wife were also
instrumental in starting a
monthly luncheon to honor and
entertain mature adults in the
community. It is called the
Super Seniors and meets at the
church on the First Monday of
each month.
A memorial service to honor
Bill’s life and also celebrate his
home going will be held at First
Redeemer Church on Sunday,
June 1, at 3 p.m. Everyone that
knew and loved Bill Flurry is
invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, donations
can be made to There’s Hope
for the Hungry c/o First
Redeemer Church, 2100
Peachtree Pkwy., Cumming,
G A 30041
Condolences may be
expressed online at
www.mcdonaldandson.com.
McDonald and Son Funeral
Home and Crematory is in
charge of arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS — Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Lois Gaynelle Durham
Miss Lois Gaynelle
Durham, age 78, of Cumming
passed away Friday, May 23,
2008. Miss Durham was a
member of the Second Baptist
Church in Cumming. She was
preceded in death by her
father, Levi Durham; mother,
Mary Lois Durham; sister,
Hazel Durham; brother, Clyde
Durham; and nephew, Brendon
Caine.
Survivors include her sis¬
ters, Jessie D. Caine, Julia D.
Needham, Katie D. Martin, all
of Cumming; brother and sis
ter-in-law, Willie and Janis
Durham of Cumming; sister
in-law, Shirley Durham of
Cherry Log; five nieces; five
nephews; families, residents
and staff of Tara Plantation.
Funeral services were held
Monday, May 26, at 11 a.m. in
the Ingram Funeral Home
Chapel with Rev. Tim Hubbard
and Rev. Larry Vaughn offici¬
ating. Interment followed at
Sawnee View Memorial
Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, dona¬
tions can be made to the
Second Baptist Church
Building Fund, 2470 Elzy
Drive, Cumming, GA 30028.
Ingram Funeral Home and
Crematory is in charge of
arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
Savanna Hope Mobley
Savanna Hope Mobley,
infant daughter of Brian and
Christi Mobley, passed away
Friday, May 23, 2008. She was
preceded in death by her grand¬
father, Randy Mobley; great¬
grandfathers, Rev. J.B. Jordan,
Curtis Adams, and Pete
Johnston; great-grandmother,
Janice Stephens; sister,
Brandalyn Faith Mobley. Other
survivors include her grandpar¬
ents, Tony and Kim Jordan,
Joyce Mobley and Lyndsay and
David Johnston; great-grand¬
mothers, Paula “Hunkie”
Jordan, Louvine Adams and
Shirley Johnston; great-grandfa¬
ther, Clarence “Jim” Stephens;
cousins, Peyton Bass and Caleb
Samples; several aunts and
uncles also survive.
Graveside services were held
Tuesday, May 27, at 11 a.m. at
Sawnee View Memorial
Gardens with Rev. Daniel
Samples officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to Emory Eastside
Hospital, NICU Dept. - 1700
Medical Way - Snellville, GA
30078 in memory of Savanna
and Brandalyn Mobley.
Ingram Funeral Home and
Crematory, Cumming, Georgia,
in charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
James W. (J.W.) Smith
Mr. James W. (J.W.) Smith,
age 83, a native of Forsyth
County, passed away Saturday,
May 24, 2008. He was one of 10
children and bom to the late Cole
and Belle Smith. Mr. Smith was
a member of the First Redeemer
Church, a U.S. Navy Veteran,
and worked for the Federal
Aviation Administration, retiring
in 1980. He was also a Deacon at
Headland Heights Baptist
Church in East Point. Mr. Smith
was preceded in death by his
daughter, Janice Smith.
Survivors include his wife,
Barbara B. Smith of Cumming;
daughter and son-in-law, Susan
and Mike Walsh of Cumming;
sons and daughters-in-law,
Steven and Terry Smith of
Marietta, Brian and Maggie
Smith of Fayetteville; sister-in
law, Elizabeth Smith; grandchil¬
dren, Michael, Jennifer and
Rebecca Walsh, Lisa and Don
Hales, Trina, Laura and Amanda
Smith, Andrew and Julie Smith,
Alan Smith and Bren and Megan
Muller; great-grandchildren,
Camryn, Brennan, Kaylee and
Preston; several nieces, nephews
and other relatives also survive.
Funeral services were
Tuesday, May 27, at 11 a.m. at
the First Redeemer Church with
Rev. Mike Schmid and Rev.
Darwin Caldwell officiating.
Interment followed at Gwinnett
Memorial Gardens.
Ingram Funeral Home and
Crematory is in charge of
arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
Incid ent reports
Editor’s note: The follow¬
ing reports were taken from
the listed agenc ies.
Cumming Police
Department
Not a winner A man
reported May 17 that he
received a letter and a check
dated May 1 saying he had
won $125,000.
He told the investigating
officer that between January
and May he had entered con¬
tests at Best Buy in an attempt
to win money.
He deposited the check and
withdrew the amount the letter
said would have to be taken
out for taxes. He later learned
the check was fake and the
money for taxes was sent to a
fraudulent location in Canada.
Mailbox baseball — A
man reported May 18 that
someone hit his mailbox on
Denson Drive. It appeared a
baseball bat was used to dam-
FLOOD from 1A
While the updates were
intended to be a service to
homeowners who may not oth¬
erwise have known their homes
could be at risk, the maps don’t
indicate elevation, leaving some
homeowners at a disadvantage.
Homeowners, many of
whom contacted the Forsyth
County News after a recent arti¬
cle on the issue, can take a
series of steps to remove their
home from the flood plain list.
After contacting FEMA,
Leonard received step-by-step
instructions. He had to resubmit
one part, but Leonard said he
“was surprised at how easy it
was to deal with FEMA.”
“What they had me do was
very doable,” he said. “I didn’t
have to keep calling back for
instructions.”
In total, the process took less
than three months and cost him
$307.50, which he said was “far
better than $2,000 a year.”
“It was kind of a pain in the
neck to do it, but all things con¬
sidered, it was well worth doing
it.
For those who don’t want to
do the legwork, companies like
Dry Land LLC will go through
the process for a fee.
Lee Kennedy, co-owner of
Dry Land, said he first learned
about the new maps nearly four
years ago when a home he was
buying was listed in a flood
plain.
He was going to back out of
the deal until he learned there
were steps he could take to have
SEASON from 1A
Forsyth County Fire Capt.
Shivers said the summer recre¬
ation season is “off to a good,
safe start.”
“If it’s any indication of the
rest of the summer, it will be a
safe year,” he said.
Cumming Police Chief Mike
Eason said that in the city there
were few accidents and no
arrests for driving under the
influence during the holiday
span.
“There were more accidents
than on a typical weekend, but
not too many,” Eason said.
“People took precautions this
weekend. They were safe.”
Shoppers at Avenue Forsyth,
like Catherine Yates, 28, said
they enjoyed the day off and the
holiday sales savings.
Yates stocked up on her sum
Deaths
Anna Bridget Linzey
Mrs. Anna Bridget Linzey,
age 63, of Cumming passed
away Monday, May 26, 2008.
Ingram Funeral Home and
Crematory is in charge
arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
Charolette Frances
Bradbury
Charolette Frances
Bradbury, 78, of Cumming
passed away May 26, 2008.
Byars Funeral Home and
Cremation Services is in
charge of arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 28, 2008
age the mailbox. He said he
did not know who did it and
that the damage occurred
between 3 p.m. May 17 and
12:30 p.m. May 18.
Sleeping on the job? —
An officer responded to a call
May 22 about a suspicious
vehicle in the parking lot next
to Hardee’s in Cumming. He
found a man sleeping inside a
UPS truck. The officer woke
him up and the man said he
needed to sleep a little so he
could drive back.
Forsyth County
Sheriffs Office
Hey, beer man — A deliv¬
ery truck driver reported May
22 that while he was inside a
convenience store on Pilgrim
Mill Road some teenagers
came in and told him they
saw someone taking cases of
beer from his truck. The
driver said he immediately
went outside, but didn’t see
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it removed.
After receiving his LOMA,
Kennedy decided to start a com¬
pany to help others.
“We do the application, all
the legwork, gather the data for
the person and try to get the
LOMA for them,” he said.
New homebuyers are
advised to learn a home’s
flood plain status prior to sign¬
ing a contract.
There are various compa¬
nies across the state that spe¬
cialize in flood plain and home
inspections.
Doug Patterson, president
of Your Home Team Advisors,
said his company pays close
attention to flood plain status
changes.
Your Home Team Advisors
conducts a complete survey of
a home, including two differ¬
ent home inspections, and will
mertime reading at Barnes &
Noble.
“I’m gonna have a little more
time on my hands during the
summer,” Yates said.
Anthony Samples and his
girlfriend, Stacey Ray, used their
day off to go see “Indiana Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull” at AMC Avenue Forsyth
12 theater.
Samples said the movie was
“disappointing,” but he was glad
to have the day off. He said they
had plans later to take his father’s
bass boat out.
Ray also was looking for¬
ward to getting out on the kike.
“I work so much, and we’ve
got this great, big lake right in
our backyard.” she said. "There’s
never any time to go enjoy it. I’m
glad I get the occasional holiday
off.
E-mail Frank Reddy at
frankreddy@forsythnews.com.
rCumniingl
First
United Methodist
Church
I Welcomes You! I
REV. JOHN L.
CROMARTIE, MINISTEk JR,
SENIOR
770 Canton Hwy
Cumming, GA
For more information, N
caU (770) 887-2900
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anyone.
The man said the
teenagers told him the sus¬
pects left in a blue Ford
Explorer and then the
teenagers left.
Stolen dog A man
reported May 22 that when
he arrived home earlier that
evening, he noticed his 7
year-old, female pit bull was
missing from his backyard.
The man lives on
Tallantworth Trail in west
Forsyth County. The man
said the dog has no ears due
to frostbite she suffered
before he owned her. The
investigating deputy reported
that there were no holes that
the dog could have escaped
through under the wooden
fence that kept the dog in the
yard. The man said roofers
who were doing repairs on
his home from May 17 to
May 20 knew the combina¬
tion to the lock on the fence
and had access to his back¬
yard.
After flooding
the neigh
bor’s house,
the small
creek would
have to climb
across what
was terraced
farmland
before it
could reach
the Slaughter
home.
Fite photo
go through the LOMA process
for a homebuyer.
The service is free for
homebuyers using the compa¬
ny from the beginning, as the
seller’s commission will sup
plement the cost. But their
service is about $5,000 on
average, if used during clos
ing.
“The homeowner has to be
more aware of what’s going on
and where homes are being
built,” he said. “I don’t think
homebuyers think of that.
Unless you’re building
right next to a river, I don’t
think flood plain maps come
into a homeowners’ minds. I
think they get emotionally
wrapped up in the purchase of
their home.
Tom Slaughter still is bat¬
tling to have his hilltop home,
which sits on 3 acres between
Forsyth J Your "Hometown CountyNews Paper" Since 1908 J
USPS 205-540
Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Georgia 30040
Phone: 770-887-3126 Fax:770-889-6017
Internet Address: www.forsythnews.com
ii#' Publisher JOHN HALL
i//TrSr7T w* Editor KEVIN R. ATWILL
o General Manager NORMAN BAGGS
:u Advertising Director LISA FERRELL
MEMBER Circulation Director GARRY TINSLEY
Production Director JEFF BUCCHINO
Published Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by the Forsyth County News
Company, Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Ga. Second Class Postage paid at
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1 t
Missing porch roof — A
man reported May 22 that
someone had stolen the cop¬
per roofing that was over his
front porch. The house, which
is in the Creekstone Estates
subdivision, is still under con¬
struction along with others in
the neighborhood. The man
said he was last there at 9:30
a.m. the day before and the
roofing was still in place. He
said the roofing was worth
$15,000 to $20,000.
Illegal shrubbery — On
May 22 a builder showed an
investigating deputy marijua¬
na plants that were growing in
the back of the Kennewick
Place subdivision where he
was working. The deputy
reported that about a dozen
plants were growing in an
area behind a retention pond
and across a creek in the
neighborhood. They ranged
from a few inches to three feet
tall. The plants were removed
and turned over to an investi¬
gator.
On the Net
For more information on
Georgia’s Digital Flood
Insurance Rate Maps,
go online at
www.georgiadfirm.com.
two creeks, removed from the
flood plain.
After hiring a surveyor and
navigating a long, back-and
forth process with FEMA, he
received a Letter of Map
Amendment, or LOMA.
His home is no longer list
ed in the flood plain, but
Slaughter still needs to alert
his mortgage company.
“It’s funny how FEMA
notified the mortgage company
that I was in a flood plain, but
has not notified the mortgage
company that I’m out of the
flood plain,” he said.
“This not only affects us
who were remapped, but it
affects people who want to sell
that are in a flood plain, and it
affects people who want to refi¬
nance because they’ll go
through the same thing to. It’s
an ongoing process for people.”
And it’s an ongoing process
that has cost him more than
$1,800. Still, that’s less than
the $2,400 that one year of
flood insurance would have
cost him.
E-mail Jennifer Sami at
jennifersami@forsythnews
.com.