Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 11.2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Daryl Skaggs
We were saddened to say
goodbye to our beloved fa
ther Daryl Thomas Skaggs
who passed away peacefully
December 18, 2020.
He suffered a cardiac
event and after being sent to
the ICU at Northside Chero
kee Hospital every effort was
made to save the man we all
loved. He was a hero even in
death, as he chose to be an
organ donor. We know he
was unafraid and his love of
God made him excited for
the next chapter.
He is survived by his
brothers, Wayne Skaggs and
David Skaggs; his daughters,
Angela Herrin, Jennifer
Hagaman, Ashleigh Simcox;
and his son, Terry Skaggs
along with many grandchil
dren.
He was an amazing father,
grandfather and friend.
Yvonne Pless
Yvonne Thomas Pless, a
resident of the Outback com
munity in north Pickens
County, passed away on Feb
ruary 3, 2021. She lived here
with her husband, William
Pless, since 2004. Before
this, they purchased a new
home in Marietta in 1967
where they raised their son
and lived for 37 years.
Yvonne was preceded in
death by her father, John
Arthur Thomas; mother,
Bramer Myrick Thomas,
both of Adger, Alabama;
older sister, Edith Nell Wilks
of Winter Haven, Florida;
grandmother, Vemer Myrick
of Adger; two aunts, Iris Gar
ner and Uvnell Gamer, both
from Walker County, Ala
bama; and a cousin, Jimmy
Thomas.
She is survived by her
husband of 60 years, William
Pless of Jasper; a son,
William Pless II (Allison
Rauscher) of Gumming; a
grandson, Michael Pless of
Gumming; a brother, John
Wayne (Patsy) Thomas of
Mulga, Alabama; a brother,
Sylvie (Valery) Thomas of
Bessemer, Alabama; a sister,
Darlene (James) Smith of
Trafford, Alabama; a niece,
Donna Wilks of Winter
Haven, Florida; a niece,
Amanda Thomas of Char
lotte, North Carolina; a
nephew, John Thomas of Al
abama; a nephew, Christo
pher (Brooke) Thomas of
Birmingham, Alabama; a
grandniece, Annsley
Thomas; several cousins; and
a step-nephew.
Yvonne was born and
raised in several communi
ties in Jefferson County, Ala
bama. She graduated from
Hueytown High School in
1957. She immediately ob
tained a position of executive
secretary to the owner and
operator of a large firm in
Birmingham. For several
years she was the pianist and
chief soloist at Houston
Chapel Methodist Church in
Bessemer where her father
was Sunday School Superin
tendent. In September 1960
she married the son of the
pastor at her church, William
Pless. They moved to
Huntsville, Alabama where
he was employed as a physi
cist with the US Army Mis
sile Command. Their son
William II was bom in March
1962 in Huntsville. They
subsequently lived in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Or
lando, Florida; and Marietta,
Georgia.
Yvonne was a devoted
wife, mother, and employee.
Her priorities were always
her family, home, and work.
Her primary talents were
music and fine cooking. She
loved to prepare elaborate,
delicious meals for her im
mediate and extended family,
especially for family "get-to
gethers" and reunions, and
loved serving her favorite
dishes.
She had a strong work
ethic, and for almost 50 years
she balanced a devotion for
home-making with profes
sional office duties. She held
positions as executive secre
tary, business analyst and
credit manager in such com
panies as RCA Service Com
pany, Swift Agriculture and
Chemical Company, Armour
Swift Eckrich, Beattrice
Foods, and Conagra. The last
job she held during the early
2000s before finally retiring
was with the Hartman-Imbri-
ale Law Firm in Jasper.
Yvonne was of high moral
character, was truthful and
faithful. She honored the po
tential and worthiness of
every person, and disdained
destructive and demeaning
behavior. She was deeply
spiritual and readily prayed
for herself and anyone need
ing God's help and guidance.
In her later years, she had
Type II diabetes and suffered
a major heart attack at the age
of 62. She recovered and ex
pertly managed her own
health for the remainder of
her years. She had several
health issues that hindered
extracurricular activities, but
generally supported her hus
band's activities. She never
gave up on fulfilling the life
that God had given her, until
it was no longer in her hands.
She fulfilled the purpose that
her Creator had given her.
Now may she rest with Him
forever.
The family will be receiv
ing friends Saturday, Febru
ary 13, 2021 from 1 p.m.
until 4 p.m. at Roper Funeral
Home
Arrangements are en
trusted to the staff of Roper
Funeral Home and Crema
tory.
Bonnie Pierce
May 25, 1937-
February 7, 2021
Mrs. Bonnie Pierce, 83, of
Ball Ground, passed away
Sunday, February 7, 2021 at
The Retreat at Canton.
Bonnie is survived by her
sons and daughters-in-law,
Billy & Rhonda Pierce of
Jasper, and Gary & Chris
Pierce of Canton; daughter,
Judy Lynn Kimble of
Zephyrhills, FL; eight grand
children; 12 great-grandchil
dren; several nieces and
nephews.
She is preceded in death
by her husband, Billy Pierce;
and great-granddaughter,
Charlotte Wisor.
Graveside services will be
held at 3 p.m. Wednesday,
February 10, 2021 at Sunrise
Memorial Gardens, with Rev.
Ken May officiating.
The family will accept
flowers or donations can be
made to Parkinson's Founda
tion.
Cagle Funeral Home is
honored to serve the Pierce
family.
Obituary
Archive
www.pickensprogress.com
Obituaries
Hank Jenkins
August 25, 1931 -
February 4, 2021
U.S. Veteran
Herndon "Hank" Jenkins,
89, passed away on February
4, 2021 at The Landings at
Norcross. His wife, Dorothy
"Dot" Jenkins, preceded him
in death.
He was bom in Atlanta,
where he received his pubic
education at Bass High
School. At Clemson College,
he was drafted into the US
Army his sophomore year,
serving from 1951 to 1953
during the Korean War. After
discharge, he entered Georgia
Tech, where he earned both
Bachelor's and Master's de
grees in Electrical Engineer
ing. After five years in
industry, he accepted a re
search engineering position
at the Georgia Tech Research
Institute. He was at GTRI for
34 years as a project director
working primarily in elec
tronic communications and
radio direction finding on
military and intelligence
agencies contracts. After re
tirement, he spent two years
writing a technical reference
book titled — "Small-Aper
ture Radio Direction-Find
ing." He was cofounder for
the volunteer Georgia-based
Dolphin Project.
He had been a member of
both the Dawson and Pickens
county’s Amateur Radio
Emergency Services (ARES)
and SKYWARN. He was an
early member of the Big
Canoe Emergency Response
Team (BCERT) and the
Dawson Community Emer
gency Response Team
(CERT).
In his mid 30s, he took up
running with 3-4 mile runs
per day. In 55 years, he
logged over 50,000 miles —
more than twice around the
Earth. He ran the first four
Peachtree Road races but quit
because the "number of run
ners got too big." He was a
part of the group that started
the GT George Griffin Pi-
mile Road Race at Georgia
Tech. He ran this course daily
during his years at GT.
He is survived by his son
and daughter-in-law, Richard
and Jo Ann Jenkins of Wood-
stock, GA; his daughter and
son-in-law, Deborah and Ray
Rex of Lemont, IL; and
granddaughters Morgan and
Audrey Rex.
The family will hold a pri
vate memorial service. In lieu
of flowers, the family re
quests donations be made to
Big Canoe Volunteer Fire
Department in Hank's honor.
Masonic Resolution
Masonic Resolution on
the death of Brother Robert
Beryal Kelley.
To the Worshipful Master,
Warden, and Brethren of
Pickens Star Lodge #220
F&A.M.
Jasper, Ga. Whereas, on
June 19, 2020 it was the will
of the Grand Architect of
Heaven and Earth to call
from Labor to Refreshment
our beloved Brother Robert
Beryl Kelley
And whereas we, his
brethren, feel keenly his ab
sence from our midst, and
while we humbly bow to the
will of our Infinite Creator,
we desire to make a suitable
Memorial, therefore:
Be it resolved that Pickens
Star Lodge No. 220 F&A.M.
express to the family of our
departed Brother, deepest
sympathy and wish to ex
press our gratitude for his life
of service among us.
Be it further resolved that
a copy of these resolutions be
sent to the bereaved family of
our departed brother, a copy
to be spread on our minutes
and a copy be published in
the Pickens County Progress.
Respectfully submitted:
Keith Hales, John Banks,
Gary Boyles.
Masonic Resolution
Masonic Resolution on
the death of Brother Jimmy
Eugene Lowe.
To the Worshipful Master,
Warden, and Brethren of
Pickens Star Lodge #220
F&A.M.
Jasper, Ga. Whereas, on
January 22, 2021 it was the
will of the Grand Architect of
Heaven and Earth to call
from Labor to Refreshment
our beloved Brother Jimmy
Eugene Lowe.
And whereas we, his
brethren, feel keenly his ab
sence from our midst, and
while we humbly bow to the
will of our Infinite Creator,
we desire to make a suitable
Memorial, therefore:
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
COVID-19 vaccine ap
pointments are difficult to
come by locally - and
statewide - as vaccine
providers are having a diffi
cult time securing doses.
According to the Georgia
Department of Public Health,
there have been 1,199,430
COVID-19 vaccines admin
istered in the state by 2,150
enrolled providers in total as
of Tuesday, Feb. 8. There
have been 678,600 doses of
Pfizer vaccines and
1,006,200 doses of the Mod-
ema vaccine shipped to
Georgia. Still, Georgia Gov.
Brian Kemp said there are
still 2 million eligible people
who have not received a vac
cine and that demand is still
outpacing supply.
In Pickens County, most
providers are not making ap
pointments for new patients
to receive their first dose of
the COVID-19 vaccine. If
vaccine supply does come in,
it is being used primarily for
the second vaccine dose.
The Pickens County
Health Department has ad
ministered 2,478 vaccines at
press time, and is not accept
ing new appointments for
first doses at this time.
“The Pickens County
Health Department is await
ing new vaccine supplies to
open up new appointments
for first doses,” said North
Georgia Health District Pub
lic Information Officer Jen
nifer King. “Currently, their
limited supply is committed
to first and second dose ap
pointments that already exist.
We have received some lim
ited supplies in some of our
counties. We hope supplies
will increase soon.”
There have been 41,604
COVID-19 vaccines admin
istered in the NGHD.
Good Samaritan Health &
Wellness Center has received
500 doses total, including a
shipment of 200 this week,
but has a list of over 2,500
people who want to receive
the vaccine and second doses
are prioritized. People can
call or visit their website to
add the name to their list. Dr.
Be it resolved that Pickens
Star Lodge No. 220 F&A.M.
express to the family of our
departed Brother, deepest
sympathy and wish to ex
press our gratitude for his life
of service among us.
Be it further resolved that
a copy of these resolutions be
sent to the bereaved family of
our departed brother, a copy
to be spread on our minutes
and a copy be published in
the Pickens County Progress.
Respectfully submitted:
Keith Hales, John Banks,
Gary Boyles.
Masonic Resolution
Masonic Resolution on
the death of Charles Bradley
McKenney.
To the Worshipful Master,
Warden, and Brethren of
Pickens Star Lodge #220
F&A.M.
Jasper, Ga. Whereas, on
January 31, 2021 it was the
Ken Austin, Chief Medical
officer at Good Sam, said
they administered 70 vac
cines last week.
Dr. Austin called the vac
cine rollout slow and said
“logistics are a nightmare”
because the vaccine is admin
istered in two doses, but
noted that they have been
able to get 12 shots out of a
vial now where at the outset
they could only get 10. Each
Modema vaccine must be 0.5
mL and he said the vaccine
companies have put more in
each vial.
“We’re squeezing every
bit out of those vials we can,”
he said.
One issue, Dr. Austin
noted, is that there is more of
a demand for the Modema
vaccine because it does not
have to be stored in sub-zero
temperatures like the Pfizer
vaccine. In the nearby area,
he only knows of one vaccine
provider north of Marietta, in
will of the Grand Architect of
Heaven and Earth to call
from Labor to Refreshment
our beloved Brother Charles
Bradley McKenney.
And whereas we, his
brethren, feel keenly his ab
sence from our midst, and
while we humbly bow to the
will of our Infinite Creator,
we desire to make a suitable
Memorial, therefore:
Be it resolved that Pickens
Star Lodge No. 220 F&A.M.
express to the family of our
departed Brother, deepest
sympathy and wish to ex
press our gratitude for his life
of service among us.
Be it further resolved that
a copy of these resolutions be
sent to the bereaved family of
our departed brother, a copy
to be spread on our minutes
and a copy be published in
the Pickens County Progress.
Respectfully submitted:
Keith Hales, John Banks,
Gary Boyles.
Dalton, that has sub-zero
storage capability.
Bells Family Pharmacy
has received a total of 300
vaccines to date, with a ship
ment of 100 of those coming
in this week. Katie Bell,
owner and pharmacist, said
all of those will go to second
doses. They currently have a
list of around 5,000 people
who want to receive vac
cines, but noted that many
people put their names on
multiple lists.
“When we got a shipment
of 100 in we had to call 300
people to fill those slots, be
cause people have their
names on other lists and had
found other appointments by
the time we had doses,” she
said, noting that they have
people from as far away as
Snellville signed up. Bell’s
Family Pharmacy has added
an online feature where peo
ple can add their name to the
list.
Bell said she hopes up
coming changes, with the
federal government saying
they will ship directly to
pharmacies, will help supply.
Jasper Ingles, which
GDPH data shows has re
ceived 600 doses to date, is
not accepting new appoint
ments according to their out
going pharmacy voice
message that says all vaccine
COVID-19 appointments
have been claimed. Piedmont
Mountainside Hospital also
as a pre-recorded message
telling callers that due to high
demand and limited supply
they have reached capacity
for appointments. GDPH
data shows they have re
ceived 1,300 vaccines.
Jasper Drug has requested
vaccines but has not received
shipments yet, according to a
pharmacy employee.
Notice of
Public Hearing
The Town of Talking Rock will hold
a Public Hearing on March 4, 2021
at 6:30PM in the Town Hall located
at 4675 Hwy 136 W,
Talking Rock, GA 30175.
Robert C. Gay submitted an
application to rezone parcel 020A
044 from Residential to C1 A. The
property is located at 4459 Hwy
136W, Talking Rock, GA 30175.
Notice of Public Hearing
Town of Talking Rock
A public hearing will be held on
March 4, 2021 for the first reading
of a Blight Ordinance @ 6:45 p.m.
in Town Hall located at
4675 Hwy 136 W, §
Talking Rock, GA 30175
COVID-19 vaccine appointments
hard to come by
The Pickens County Health Department continues to
provide vaccinations at the Pickens County Community
Center on Camp Road. On Monday, Feb. 8 they provided
150 doses to residents who had preregistered for a first dose
appointment or were receiving their second dose. Signage
points patients to the rear of the building, and clarifies that
only people with appointments are accepted at this time.