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THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 5. 2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Annie Ruth
Garlin
Mrs. Annie Ruth Garlin
84, of Calhoun, Georgia, de
parted this life Thursday, Oc
tober 29, 2020 at Gordon
Health Care.
Annie Ruth was bom Feb
ruary 3, 1936 in Pickens
County, Georgia, a daughter
of the late Arthur Hugh and
Lula Belle Carroll Patterson.
She was also preceded in
death by her loving husband
of 62 years, Henley M.
‘‘Sonny” Garlin who died
March 14, 2020; her broth
ers, Reverend Lloyd Patter
son, Reverend Luther
Patterson, Lee Patterson, El
bert Patterson and Reverend
Alfred Patterson; her sisters,
Lois Carver, Ella Patterson,
Odelle Silvers, Faye Clark
and Geraldine Johnson.
She was retired from
Horizon and Fafnir Bearing
and was a member of Ball
Creek Baptist Church in
Pickens County.
She is survived by her son
and daughter-in-law, Stacey
and Dawn Garlin of Resaca,
GA; daughters and son-in-
law, Lydia Waters of Jasper,
Charlotte and Keith Holmes
of Calhoun, GA; grandchil
dren, Zachary and Amber
Waters, Kyle and Rachel Wa
ters, Jacob and Sarah
Holmes, Joshua Garlin,
Makayla Holmes, Garrett
Hammonds, Sarah Garlin;
great-grandchildren, Addi
Waters, Lauren Waters,
Owen Waters, Hunter Waters,
Sophia Waters, Mackenzie
Waters, Harper Holmes,
Carter Holmes and Graison
Hammonds; sister, Gladys
Jones of Mars Hill, NC; sis-
ters-in-law, Cleo Patterson of
Calhoun, GA, Olean Patter
son of Marietta, GA; several
nieces and nephews.
Services to celebrate the
life of Mrs. Annie Ruth Gar
lin were held Sunday, No
vember 1, 2020 at 2 p.m. at
Ponders Calhoun Chapel
with Reverend Wallace Parks
officiating. She was laid to
rest beside her beloved hus
band at Chandler Cemetery
with Reverend Jason Phillips
officiating. Zachary Waters,
Kyle Waters, Jacob Holmes,
Josh Garlin, Garrett Ham
monds, Jacob Phipps, Keith
Holmes and Mitchell Patter
son were honored to serve as
pallbearers.
Condolences may be ex
pressed to the family at
www.pondersflmeralhome.co
m.
Arrangements by, Ponders
Calhoun Chapel 675 Jolly
Road Calhoun, GA 30701,
706-625-7577
www.selectedindependentfu-
neralhomes.org and
www.ogr.org
Alonzo Hampton
Alonzo Hampton was
born in Sandersville, Geor
gia, November 4, 1953 and
passed on October 28, 2020.
At an early age, his family
moved to Tate, Georgia
where he grew up. As an ado
lescent, Alonzo joined Mount
Calvary Baptist Church and
attended Pickens High
School (PHS) where he ex
celled in football, track and
field and baseball. Alonzo
owned two PHS Football
records: Longest TD Recep
tion in a Game (96 yards) and
Most Receiving Yards in a
Game (183). As of 2014, he
still owned the record for the
Longest TD reception in a
game, whereas it took 43
years before someone topped
his record for receiving yards
in a game.
In June of 1976, Alonzo
Hampton married Mar-
shalette Anderson. To this
union, their son Brian Hamp
ton was bom in July 1980.
Everyone who knew "Hamp"
personally, knew him to be a
man of his word, totally reli
able and easy-going. Also,
Hamp was a DJ, a grill mas
ter and was an avid Atlanta
Falcons fan - win or lose.
Hamp's greatest joy was
spending time with his
granddaughter, Hannah (bom
to Brian and Daniella Hamp
ton in 2013.) Hamp and Han
nah were inseparable and
always found new adventures
together in the yard.
Preceding Alonzo's death
were his parents, Lonnie
"Bro" and Pinkie Hampton
and his brother, Lambert "Bo
Ret" Hooks. In celebration of
his life, he leaves behind his
wife of 43 years, Mar-
shalette; his son, Brian and
cherished granddaughter,
Hannah; eight nieces, two
nephews, a host of cousins;
brothers-in-law, Michael An
derson and Fred Anderson,
Jr.; sisters-in-law, Sheila
(Tony) Strickland, and pro
ceeding him in death, Zania
Hooks.
Graveside services were
held at 11 a.m., Monday, No
vember 2, 2020 at Lake For
est Memorial Park with
Reverend Scott McClure of
ficiating.
Arrangements are en
trusted to the staff of Roper
Funeral Home and Crema
tory.
Online condolences may
be made at www.roperfuner-
alhome.com.
Jim Long
James B. "Jim" Long, Jr.,
son of James B. (d.1975) and
Fannie Mae (d. 1976) Long,
died Thursday, October 29,
2020 at his home in Big
Canoe, Georgia. He was sit
ting in his chair where he
read from The Message each
morning when he passed
away. He is survived by his
wife of 43 years, Patricia
"Patsy" Long.
Jim was bom in Burling
ton, North Carolina in 1939
and grew up in the town of
Elon, formerly Elon College.
He attended Elon College
High School and Chowan
College, graduating from Vir
ginia Commonwealth Uni
versity with a degree in
business.
After a successful career
in corporate sales, Jim and
Patsy founded Service Care
of America, providing food
management and other serv
ices on military bases across
the United States. During his
28 years leading the com
pany, Jim traveled to all fifty
states and especially enjoyed
spending time in the dining
facilities working alongside
his staff. As dedicated as he
was to his work, he found
meaning in the relationships
his work provided.
Following his retirement,
Jim continued to build strong
connections with people in
the community of Big Canoe
where he and Patsy have
been involved since 1983. It
is in Big Canoe where they
forged longtime friendships
at Big Canoe Chapel, on the
golf course, and at the fitness
center. As recently as the Fri
day prior to his death, Jim
could be found at the fitness
center socializing with
friends around the "Table of
Knowledge" and solving the
problems of the world.
To say Jim was patriotic
would be an understatement.
After his high school gradua
tion, Jim joined the United
State Marine Corps and
proudly served six years in
the reserves. In the words of
his wife, Jim was a "God,
Mom, and apple pie kind of
guy." He enjoyed John
Wayne movies. He was an
active member of the North
Georgia Veterans Associa
Obituaries
tion.
Jim's service didn't end
with the military. He was a
regular volunteer at Commu
nity Assistance Resources
and Emergency Services
(CARES), a food pantry and
emergency services agency,
where he helped distribute
food for people in need in the
Jasper area. Because of his
love for horses, he also vol
unteered with Save the
Horses, Gumming, Georgia,
which rescues and rehabili
tates abused, neglected and
abandoned animals.
Still, as much as he was
dedicated to his work, his
colleagues, his friends and
community, Jim loved his
family most. He was a de
voted husband, father, and
grandfather. He is also sur
vived by his stepsons,
Mickey (Perian) Rogers and
Andy (Jennifer) Rogers; his
beloved grandchildren,
Annabelle and Michael;
Drew, Jude, and Jane; and his
nephew, Jeff Yarbrough, and
niece, Jill Mathieu, and their
families. His family is grate
ful for the blessing of sharing
life and love with him for
over 44 years.
A memorial service will
be held at 3 p.m., Friday, No
vember 6, 2020 at the Big
Canoe Chapel. Due to
COVID-19, masks are re
quired.
In lieu of flowers, the
family requests anyone wish
ing to honor Jim, please
make contributions to the Big
Canoe Chapel or Community
Assistance Resource and
Emergency Services
(CARES) of Jasper, Georgia.
Online condolences may
be made at www.roperfuner-
alhome.com.
Andrew Raye
Andrew Juergen Raye, 53,
of Jasper, passed away
Wednesday, October 14,
2020 at his home. He was
born February 17, 1967 in
Berlin, Germany. He was a
Quality Engineer at Schoen
Insulation Services in Can
ton, Georgia.
Andy is survived by his
mother, Heidemarie Crowe
of Jasper; sister and brother-
in-law, Patricia and David
Parks of Fairmount; brother,
Donald Raye; nieces and
nephew, Jessica Parks, Re-
bekah Parks, Sarah Parks,
and John Parks all of Fair-
mount; niece and family,
Amanda and Aaron Curtis,
Benjamin and Joshua of
North Carolina; cousins,
Shirley Holcomb, Sylvia
Bruce, Stephen Raye,
Thomas Raye and their fam
ilies. Uncles, an aunt, and
other family members in
Germany also survive. He
was preceded in death by his
father, Robert Patterson Raye
and other loved ones.
A graveside service was
held at 3 p.m., Sunday, No
vember 1, 2020 at Bethesda
Baptist Church Cemetery
with Brother David Parks of
ficiating.
The family accepted flow
ers or memorial donations in
his honor may be made to
National Veterans Founda
tion.
Arrangements are en
trusted to the staff of Roper
Funeral Home and Crema
tory.
Online condolences may
be made at www.roperfuner-
alhome.com.
See Don Russell
Obituary on
Page 1A
Marilyn
McMahan
Marilyn McNally McMa
han, 90, of Jasper, Georgia
passed away Monday, No
vember 2, 2020 at her home.
She was bom May 19,193 0,
in Dalton, Georgia to Paul
and Doris McNally. She had
two older brothers, Paul Jr.
and William Henry
“Dachey,” and a younger sis
ter, Patricia.
She went to Dalton High
School where she played bas
ketball. She married the love
of her life, Russell Thomas
"R.T." McMahan in Chat
tanooga on April 30,
1947. They lived in Atlanta,
then Marietta, then moved to
Jasper.
Mrs. McMahan is sur
vived by her son and daugh-
ter-in-law, Russell Thomas
and Janis McMahan, Jr. of
Canton; daughter and son-in-
law, Doris Camilla “Decie”
and Mike Lowe of Jasper;
five grandchildren, Russell
"Russ" Thomas McMahan III
of Canton, Ryker and Lisa
Lowe of Jasper, Slade and
Neena Lowe of Jasper, Soli-
tair and Andy Middleton of
Jasper, Camlyn Lowe of
Jasper; eight great-grandchil
dren, Harlan Lowe, Hudson
Lowe, Aubry Lowe, Rylyn
"RT" Lowe, Kensley Lowe,
Jeremiah "JT" Middleton,
Mac Middleton.
According to her grand
children, "Granny was as
tough as she was loving. She
beat rheumatic fever as a
child and had four open heart
surgeries. The door was al
ways open at Granny’s house
and there was something on
the stove. She was quick with
a “Hey, hon” or “Hey, babe”
and offer you something to
eat. Loved ones were always
welcome at Granny’s and
those who knew her, loved
her and loved being with
her. She was fun to be with,
funny, direct, and kind. There
are many sayings Granny
used which are used by her
children and grandchildren.
One was, “Might as well
laugh as to cry." Ifyouhada
friend like Granny, you really
had a friend."
Services will be held at 1
p.m., Thursday, November 5,
2020 at the Lowe Family
Cemetery with Reverend
David Stuart and Reverend
Preston Jones officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memo
rial contributions may be
made to the American Heart
Association or the First Bap
tist Church of Jasper.
Arrangements are en
trusted to the Staff of Roper
Funeral Home and Crema
tory.
Online condolences may
be made at www.roperfimer-
alhome.com.
Errol Sanders
Errol Franklin Sanders,
81, bom in Columbus, Geor
gia in 1939, passed away
peacefully in his mountain
home in Jasper, Georgia on
October 1. Errol is survived
by his wife of 37 years,
Susan Sentell Sanders; and
his son, Shane (wife Heidi)
and their children, Alba,
Nicholas, and Julian, his
daughter, Meredith Sanders
Weitnauer ( husband Blake)
and their children, Sam and
Will and the mother of his
children Nancy. Errol was
pre-deceased by his parents,
J.H. Sanders and Julia
Nicholson Sanders of
Columbus and a brother,
James Sanders, Jr., of
Chicago, Illinois.
He graduated from
Columbus High School in
1957 and received his mas
ter’s degree in English from
the University of Georgia in
1964 while working as a
graduate teaching assistant. A
few years later, he began
what would become a 50-
year career in teaching, when
he taught English at Andrew
College from 1967-1969. In
1969, Errol joined the Eng
lish faculty at Woodward
Academy (formerly known
as Georgia Military Acad
emy), where he would teach
in the Upper School for 21
years, until 1990. He also
served as the long-time coach
of the school’s cross country
team. While at Woodward he
received the Teacher of the
Year Award, the Senior Class
tribute and the “Phoenix”
yearbook dedication. He was
exceptionally popular with
the student body at WA; fa
mous for his irreverent sense
of humor, intellect, kindness,
and most of all, a passion for
literature. He had a gift for
conducting complex discus
sions and analysis with his
students in a way that was
impossible to resist, easy to
understand and fun. He was a
voracious reader of anything
and everything, from Flan
nery O’Connor to Ray Brad
bury to Robert E. Howard,
and was also extremely well-
versed in Native American
history. Known as an author
ity of the work of William
Faulkner, Errol immersed his
students in Southern litera
ture, introducing them to the
work of Flannery O’Connor,
Mark Twain, Edgar Allan
Poe, Eudora Welty, and fel
low Columbus native, Carson
McCullers. Errol also read to
his students the works of
Ernest Hemingway, Thomas
Malory, and William Gold
ing. He intrinsically recog
nized the connection between
literature and film as medi
ums of human expression,
and his natural talent for un
derstanding the narrative arts
made him a connoisseur of
movies from all over the
world. He creatively used
cinema in the classroom to
deepen his students’ compre
hension and appreciation for
the art of storytelling, with
great success. He loved
music, especially bluegrass,
and never missed an opportu
nity to see his favorites Doc
Watson and Bill Monroe play
live whenever he had the
chance.
In 1988, he was the recip
ient of a William Faulkner
fellowship from the National
Endowment for the Humani
ties at the University of
Southern Mississippi. Also,
Mr. Sanders was selected to
teach literature and composi
tion on two different occa
sions at the Georgia
Governor’s Honors Program,
a summer program for gifted
and talented high school stu
dents.
After his career at Wood
ward Academy, Mr. Sanders
continued to teach, enjoying
many years of teaching liter
ature and composition at
Morris Brown College in At
lanta. He then joined the staff
of Mill Springs Academy in
Alpharetta, Georgia, teaching
English, language arts, and
composition in the Acad
emy’s PreUpper School for
seventh and eighth graders.
He was pleased in 2006 when
a member of the Senior Class
named him her Star Teacher
(she had been in his class in
8th grade). Mr. Sanders re
tired from teaching in 2011,
but was called back by Mill
Springs as a part-time teacher
of composition from 2013-
2017. Fie fully retired from
teaching in 2017 where he
continued to read and add
volumes to his personal li
brary. Mr. Sanders had a vo
racious literary appetite, with
over five thousand books in
his library, spanning an enor
mous range of topics. He
spent his entire professional
life teaching ... and showing
his students how to deeply
appreciate and understand
words, stories, books, au
thors, and masterfully-writ
ten writing.
In lieu of flowers and to
celebrate and honor the life
and influence of Mr. Sanders,
the family wishes donations
to be made in Errol Sanders’
name to the library at Mill
Springs Academy, Al
pharetta, Georgia or to the
Flannery O’Connor-Andalu
sia Foundation in
Milledgeville, Georgia.
A memorial service will
be held at a later date in a
safer time.
Michael
Benedict
Michael James Benedict,
69, of Jasper, GA passed
away October 29, 2020.
Michael was bom on No
vember 4, 1950 in Coving
ton, OH. He graduated from
Covington High School
(1969), and Ohio State Uni
versity in 1974.
Mike’s professional career
took him around the world
working in the most exotic
and challenging places. His
passion was competitive
shooting sports and he was
both a world and national
champion. Mike was also a
highly respected firearms in
structor and range designer.
The Pickens County Sports
man Club was Mike’s big
passion, through his hard
work and dedication the club
has become one of finest
ranges in the state, and host
of a popular Pickens County
event - the Fishing Rodeo.
He was also a talented
amateur chef and taught
many of his friends how to
make the perfect pie and
smoke a brisket.
His vast number of friends
speaks volumes about the ex
traordinary person he was.
One of those friends said it
best: “A couple days ago the
world lost Mike Benedict.
He was a friend and men
tor that is already missed by
many.
When we talk about
standing on the shoulders of
giants, Mike was one of those
metaphorical giants. His gen
erosity of time, patience and
knowledge made a signifi
cant impact on my life.”
He is survived by his wife,
Rosie Ruschman (Jasper,
GA), his mother Gerry Bene
dict, sister Mary Ann Von As-
chen of Covington, OH,
brother Robert of Everett,
WA, his daughter, Angela
McCullah and grandson Con
nor of Union, OH.
A Life Celebration will be
held in the spring of 2021 in
Jasper, GA.
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