Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. JANUARY 19. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3B
Obituaries
Cody Jones
Mr. Cody Jones, 31, of
Jasper, passed away Sunday,
January 15, 2023 at North-
side Hospital Cherokee.
Cody is survived by his
parents, Mark & Angie
Jones of Jasper; sister and
brother-in-law, Haley & Jeff
Huong of Jasper; his uncle
Ronnie and Baba; several
other special uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, January 17,
2023 at Cagle Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. James
Thompson, and Rev. Harold Cantrell officiating.
Interment was at Antioch Baptist Church following the
funeral service.
Pallbearers: Ronnie Jones, Charles Jones, Josh Jones,
Phillip Landrum, Jeff Roden, Lamar Logan, and Sam Foster.
Honorary pallbearer: Joey Jones.
The family accepted flowers but would greatly appreciate
donations to help with funeral expenses.
Cagle Funeral Home is honored to serve the Jones fam
ily
Lona Buchanan
Mrs. Lona Buchanan, 85,
of Marble Hill, passed away
Friday, January 13, 2023 at
Pruitt Health Care.
Mrs. Buchanan is sur
vived by her son and daugh-
ter-in-law, Larry & Holly
Buchanan of Marble Hill;
daughters and son-in-law,
Janice Taylor of Marble
Hill, Linda & Roger Emory of Talking Rock, and Lisa Amos
of Marble Hill; brothers, Howard Stamey of Nelson, and
Hollis Stamey of Jasper; sisters, Louise Sims of Jasper, and
Ruth Cooper of Jasper; fifteen grandchildren; twenty-one
great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joe Ensley &
Myrtle Stamey; husband, Jim Charlie Buchanan; son, Jerry
"J.J." Buchanan; brothers, Clay Stamey, and Paul Stamey;
sisters, Lorene Cantrell, Helen Stamey, and Ruby Heard.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Monday, January 16,
2023 at Four Mile Baptist Church, with Rev. Aaron Adams
and Rev. Curtis Roland officiating.
Interment was at the church cemetery following the fu
neral service.
Pallbearers: Larry Buchanan, Randall Buchanan, Steven
Padgett, Nathan Taylor, Joshua Amos, and Jacob Edwards.
Honorary pallbearers: Jason Buchanan, Seth Ritz, and Joshua
Ritz.
Cagle Funeral Home is honored to serve the Buchanan
family.
Robert Forrester
Robert Dan Forrester passed away on January 13, 2023 at
the age of 82.
He was preceded in death by: his father Wendom For
rester, his mother Oshie Forrester, and his brother Harold
Forrester.
He is survived by his brother Ronnie Forrester (wife
Mamie); his wife of 62 years Rebecca Darnell Forrester; his
3 daughters: Darlene O'Connell (husband David), Dawn
Brown (husband David), and Diane Langford (husband
Andy).
He has six grandchildren: James Lu (Laurel), Meghan O'
Connell, Evan Brown (Destiny), Cloe Brown, Alexis
Stephenson (Sam) and Graham Langford. He also has 2 great
grandchildren: Avery and Adelaide Stephenson.
He had a long and illustrious career of 42 years in the field
of banking and finance.
He was an active member in his community, being in
volved in many philanthropic organizations.
He was also an active member and Deacon of the First
Baptist Church of Jasper (Jasper, Georgia). He loved the peo
ple there and enjoyed working on many of their committees.
He will be remembered as a loving brother, husband, fa
ther, grandfather, great-daddy, and friend.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, January
16, 2023 at First Baptist Church of Jasper, with Rev. Preston
Jones, and Rev. Charlie Boggan officiating.
Interment was at Morrison-Damell Cemetery following
the funeral service.
Pallbearers: Andy Langford, David Brown, David O'Con
nell, James Lu, Evan Brown, and Graham Langford.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First
Baptist Church of Jasper.
Cagle Funeral Home is honored to serve the Forrester
family.
Edna Cole
Edna Cole, 77, of Jasper,
Georgia, passed away Tues
day, January 3, 2023 at
Grandview Healthcare.
Survivors include: son
and daughter-in-law, Mike
and April Cole of Jasper;
daughter and son-in-law,
Patty and William Grier of
Jasper; son, Shane Cole of
Jasper; sister, Carolyn Martin of Douglas; grandchildren,
Samantha White, Jamie Glancie, Timothy Cole, Mathew
Grier, Jacob Grier, Jonathon Cole, Amanda Cole, and Joshua
Cole; great-grandchildren, Bree White, Alie White, Evan
Glancie, Mason Glancie, Braelyn, Isaiah, and Marjorie.
Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Cole.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral
Home and Crematory.
Lyle Bishop Jr.
Lyle C. Bishop Jr., 98, an Army
Veteran of Canton, Georgia passed
away on January 10th, 2023.
No services are scheduled at this
time. In Their Honor of Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Bobby Gordon
U.S. Veteran
Mr. Bobby Gordon, 92,
of Ranger, passed away Fri
day, January 13, 2023 at
Calhoun Health Care.
Mr. Gordon was in the Air Force for four years and served
in the Korean War. He later worked at Railway Express for
three years, Overnight Transportation for 31 years, then he
was a school bus driver for Pickens County for 10 years.
He is survived by his wife, Hazel Gordon of Ranger;
daughters and sons-in-law, Melaney Gordon of Ranger,
Sherry & Neal Devane of Bamesville, and Charlotte & Jack
Ford of Cedartown; brother and sister-in-law, Edward &
Mary June Gordon of Alaska; sisters, Marcia Gordon
Williams of McDonough, and Lucille Gordon Greene of Har
risburg, VA; four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren;
several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held at 4 p.m. Sunday, January 15,
2023 at Cagle Funeral Home Chapel.
Interment was at Sunrise Memorial Gardens following the
funeral service, Military honors will be provided by The
Local Chapter 47 DAV.
The family accepted flowers or donations may be made
to VA or American Legion.
Cagle Funeral Home is honored to serve the Gordon fam
ily
William Pless Jr.
William Pless, 88, a former resident of the Outback Com
munity in north Pickens County, passed away on January 8,
2023. He lived there with
his wife, Yvonne Pless,
since 2004. Before that,
they purchased a new home
in Marietta in 1967 where
they raised their son and
lived for 37 years. William
was one of eleven children
bom to the Reverend and
Mrs. David Pless of Ala
bama, a pastor in the North
Alabama Methodist Confer
ence.
William is survived by his son, William Pless II; grand
son, Michael Pless; and great-granddaughter, Evie, all of
Gumming, Georgia; two brothers, James Pless of Goodrich,
MI and Gerald Pless of Titusville, FL; seventeen nieces and
nephews and their families and descendents. He was pre
ceded in death by his wife; his father and mother; five sisters;
three brothers; two sisters-in-law; five brothers-in-law; one
niece; and one nephew.
William was bom in Phil Campbell, Alabama and raised
in numerous towns and communities throughout north Ala
bama. He graduated from Handley High School in Roanoke,
Alabama in 1952, served in the US Marine Corps for four
years, seeing duty in Korea. He then attended the University
of Alabama for four academic years, receiving a BS Degree
in Physics in 1960. He and Yvonne were married by his pas
tor father in September 1960. They moved to Huntsville, AL
where William already had a job with the US Army Missile
Command. Their son, William II, was bom in 1962. In Sep
tember 1963, he enrolled in the University of Alabama Grad
uate School where he pursued advanced courses in physics
and math for 16 months. They subsequently lived in Orlando,
FL (two years) and Marietta, GA (37 years) where William
had professional jobs with aerospace companies and Yvonne
worked in positions of executive secretary and financial an
alyst. They moved to the Outback Subdivision in north Pick
ens County in 2004.
William began his professional career developing com
munications for use in battlefield tactical guidance systems
and deep space probes; inspection technology for ballistic
and anti-missile missiles; technology for metal fatigue and
corrosion detection in structure of military transport aircraft;
structural inspection studies for the Space Shuttle program;
and computer fire propagation review for on-board use on
the US Space Station. In 1982, William assisted in the estab
lishment of the Lockheed Space Operations Company and
helped it obtain the Shuttle Processing Contract with NASA
at Kennedy Space Center to refurbish, process, and assemble
the Space Shuttle for launch.
Since June 2007, William has been an active member of
the Marine Corps League North Georgia Mountains Detach
ment 1280. He was on the Board of Directors for planning
and construction of the Pickens County Veterans Memorial
Park in Jasper.
William was a devoted husband, father, and employee.
His priorities were always his family, home and work. His
primary talents were writing and painting, and he loved the
outdoors and gardening. After retiring from his profession
in the mid-1990s, he turned to writing. He has written and
published two books, "The Spiritual Foundations of the Uni
verse" and "After the Resurrection" (Amazon) and numerous
articles and letters.
William was of high moral character, truthful and faithful,
and was deeply spiritual and readily prayed for himself and
anyone needing God's help and guidance. He always en
joyed the loving support of his wife. In their later years he
and Yvonne had several health issues that hindered their ac
tivities.
He fulfilled the purpose that his Creator had given him.
Now may he rest with Him forever.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, Febru
ary 11, 2023 in the Chapel of Roper Funeral Home.
The family will receive friends the same day starting at
noon until the funeral hour.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral
Home and Crematory.
Ronald McGraw
Ronald Eugene McGraw
“Quickdraw” of Jasper
passed away January 9,
2023 at 67 from cancer. He
was a truck driver all his
life. He was a great friend to
a lot of people and always
helped whoever needed it.
He is the son of Melvin
McGraw from Alabama and
Lorretta Jean Smith of
Kansas who passed away
the next day, January 10th.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Bonnie Lynn Mc
Graw of Jasper, Ga.; stepfather Jeff Smith of Kansas and sib
lings Barbara Cochran of Carrollton, Chuck McGraw of
Kansas and predeceased by his sister Linda West of Kansas,
and nieces and nephews.
Ronald requested a cremation and his ashes will be scat
tered at his favorite lake. In his remembrance we ask his
friends and family to remember him every time you go fish
ing.
We love you Ronald “Quickdraw” McGraw. You will be
missed.
James Densmore
James D. Densmore, 85,
of Jasper, Georgia, passed
away Saturday, January 14,
2023 at Piedmont Moun
tainside Hospital.
James is survived by his
son, Skip Densmore of Ball
Ground; daughters and son-
in-law, June Sanders
(Vince) of Nelson, Janet
Reid of Jasper; granddaugh
ters, Tonya Dodd of Ball
Ground, Tammy and Matt Butler of Ball Ground, Jessica and
Matt Dawkins of Jasper, Lesley and Nathan Chester of
Jasper; great-grandchildren, Nate, Declan, Khloe, Clara,
Chase, Colin, and Maci. Several other relatives also sur
vive.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Janu
ary 18,2023 in the Chapel of Roper Funeral Home with Rev
erend Evan Howell officiating. Interment will follow in the
Bethesda Baptist Church Cemetery.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral
Home and Crematory.
Doug Hanley
Doug Hanley, 72, of
Jasper, Georgia, passed
away Saturday, January 14,
2023 at Heritage Hospice.
Doug is survived by his
wife, Diane Hanley of
Jasper; son and daughter-in-
law, Prescott and Heather
Hanley of Kennesaw;
granddaughter, Peyton Han
ley of Kennesaw. Cousins,
friends, and other family
members also survive.
Doug was preceded in death
ginia Hanley.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, January
21, 2023 in the Chapel of Roper Funeral Home. Interment
will follow in the Big Canoe Cemetery.
The family will be receiving friends at Roper Funeral
Home, Saturday, January 21 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Mr. Hanley's honor to
Big Canoe Animal Rescue.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral
Home and Crematory.
EJ Rich III
Earl "EJ" Rich III, 38, of Douglasville, Georgia passed
away on January 2nd, 2023.
A memorial service was held on January 7th, 2023.
Care and trust was placed with In Their Honor of Jasper
Funerals and Cremations.
Keith Blaisdell
Keith M. Blaisdell, 66, an Army Vet-
eran of Ellijay, Georgia passed away on
January 3rd, 2023.
No services are scheduled at this time. In Their Honor of
Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Herschel Frazier
Herschel A. Frazier, 86, of Jasper, Georgia passed away
on January 4th, 2023.
No services are scheduled at this time. In Their Honor of
Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Joy Ward
Joy Ward, 73, of Ellijay, Georgia passed away on Decem
ber 25th, 2022.
No services are scheduled at this time. In Their Honor of
Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Donald DiPentima
Donald A. DiPentima, 75, of Ellijay, Georgia passed away
on January 6th, 2023.
Services will be held on January 20th, 2023 in Florida. In
Their Honor of Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Gretchen Crawford
Gretchen Crawford, 85, of Jasper, Georgia passed away
on January 7th, 2023.
No services are scheduled at this time. In Their Honor of
Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Charles Morris
Charles L. Morris, 92, of Dawsonville, Georgia passed
away on January 12th, 2023.
No services are scheduled at this time. In Their Honor of
Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
Mark Thomas
Mark L. Thomas, 63, of Ellijay, Georgia passed away on
January 15th, 2023.
A celebration of life will take place on Thursday, January
19th, 2023. Visitation will be from 12-3 p.m. with a service
promptly following at 3 p.m. in the chapel of In Their Honor
of Jasper.
In Their Honor of Jasper Funerals and Cremations.
See obituary for Herman Doyle
Cochran of Ellijay on Page 5B