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DEATH NOTICES
Obituaries are published as received
Burma Jean Garrett
Ayer
Mrs. Burma Jean Garrett Ayer, age 75, of Barnes-
ville, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2021.
Burma was born on Satur
day, December 29, 1945 in
Thomaston, Georgia to the
late W.G. & Blanche Gar
rett. She was preceded in
death by her sister, Judy
Teal. Burma retired from
the William Carter Compa
ny after 35 years of service
and was a member of Rock
Springs Church. She en
joyed spending time with
her family, making crafts,
liked to cut up with people
and really enjoyed her time working at Carters.
Burma is survived by her son and daughter-in-law,
Jeff & KB Ayer; daughter and son-in-law, Jeannie &
Kelley Haddock; grandchildren, Josh & Autumn Ayer,
Kirstie Ayer, Kirk & Chasity Haddock, Jake Haddock;
nephew and his wife, Kenneth & Vickie Teal.
Funeral services for Mrs. Burma Ayer will be held
at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at Rock Springs
Church with Dr. Benny Tate officiating. Interment will
follow in Greenwood Cemetery. Friends may visit
the family on Tuesday afternoon from 3:00 p.m. until
the hour of service at the church. In lieu of flowers,
please consider making a donation to Rock Springs
Church - Medical Clinic, 219 Rock Springs Road, Mil
ner, Georgia 30257 in memory of Mrs. Burma Ayer.
To make an online condolence, please visit www.
williams-westburyfuneralhome.com
Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College
Drive, Barnesville, is serving the Ayer Family.
Mary Leonora Ginn
Mary Leonora Ginn, 97, died peacefully from a
stroke on Monday, July 19, 2021 at Brightmoor Hos
pice.
A Barnesville resident for 96 years, Ms. Ginn was
born in Macon, GA on July 4, 1924 to the late Vera
Rudisill and Grover Cleveland Ginn. Her family moved
to Barnesville in 1925.
After she graduated from
high school and junior
college, she went to work
as a clerk at Robins Air
Force Base during World
War II. After the war, she
worked in the payroll
department of the Wil
liam Carter Company until
she retired in 1986. Since
then, she had over 20 jobs/
volunteer work, includ
ing a substitute teacher, a
poll worker, a newspaper columnist, a waitress and a
piano player, just to name a few.
Ms. Ginn was a member of Barnesville First United
Methodist Church for 87 years, joining the church on
Easter Sunday 1934. Leonora taught Sunday school
for 37 years, beginning in the nursery and then teach
ing in every department. She chaired both the 150th
and 175th celebration of the church.
Ms. Ginn made numerous contributions to the
Barnesville community and was the first president of
the local historical society, which was instrumental in
saving the 1913 railroad depot from demolition. The
society started Buggy Days and she was the chairper
son of Barnesville’s 150th anniversary celebration in
1976. She also served on the Friendship Force under
President Carter and was appointed by Governors
Harris, Miller and Barnes to represent the elderly
on the State Health Strategy team. She served three
terms on the Barnesville City council from 1992 - 2003
and was so very proud that the City of Barnesville
renamed her street Swatts-Ginn Street.
Ms. Ginn deeply loved her hometown and was
known as the Barnesville historian. She authored
seven books beginning in 1973, all of which dealt
with Barnesville and Lamar County history. Leonora
grew up on Elm Street where many of the stories in
her books such as “The Wrap Around Porch and The
Kitchen Table” and “The Chinaberry Tree” took place.
Her favorite time period was the 1920s through World
War II. Leonora said her most poignant memory is
June 6, 1944, “when everybody in town was on their
knees praying for our soldiers as they liberated
France from the Germans.”
Known for her high heels, Leonora was an extra in
15 movies including “Driving Miss Daisy”, “Cold Sassy
Tree” and “Fried Green Tomatoes.” She was also
known for being on the radio talking about Barnes
ville history, as well as recording “On the Road with
Leonora.”
Leonora was predeceased by five siblings, two
died in infancy and one sister died at age nine. Her
brothers Grover died in 2001 and Calvin died in 2005.
Leonora is survived by seven nieces and nephews
who loved her dearly: Clint Ginn (Jenny), Cal Ginn
(Gala), Lori Martin, Jack Ginn (Jodie), Michael Ginn
(Cathy), Lisa Rowell (Randy), Lana Lee (Brandon).
She is also survived by many great nieces and
nephews: Thomas, Jason, Abbegale, Leslie, Lewis,
Nic (Stephanie), Avery, Alexis, Catie (Shane), Cassie,
Anslee (John), Kristen (T.J.); as well as great-great
nieces and nephews: Bethany, Brandon, Layla, Ellie,
Aislynn, Eli, Athens, Coast, Auckland and Lisbon.
Funeral services for Ms. Mary Leonora Ginn were
held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 24, 2021 in the
Breedlove Memorial Chapel with Rev. Cyndi McDon
ald officiating. Friends visited the family on Friday,
July 23 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral
home. Burial was held in Harris County.
Memorials may be given in Leonora’s memory to
Barnesville First United Methodist Church.
To make an online condolence, please visit www.
williams-westburyfuneralhome.com
Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College
Drive, Barnesville is serving the Ginn family.
Tuesday, July 27,2021 Iferalti <©a?ttt£ 5A
PHOTO: BOB PEDROTTI
“Look’a here now”
About 200 people were gathered by the graveside at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Piedmont Road to say farewell last
Thursday to Stan (Hambone) Hamrick. Motorcycle buddies from the local Windwalkers and others were there in force. A noted
Barnesville citizen once told Hambone, “You’ve done more good for people in this town than any preacher.”
County commission hears
report on “clean audit”
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
County administrator
Sean Townsend reported
to the board of commis
sioners last week that
Lamar had received “a
clean audit” with minor
notations for changes in
separation of duties in
accounting and adhering
to required configura
tions in reporting.
A full agenda was
rapidly dispatched while
a thunderstorm stood
over Barnesville the
evening of July 20. Com
missioners approved a
$40,000 purchase for a
ladder truck and $25,000
for equipment carried
by the truck, for a total
of $65,000 for the county
fire department. Com
missioner Ryran Traylor
called the purchase “an
awesome deal” in light of
current costs for fire-
trucks and apparatus.
Also approved was a low
bid by Southern Comfort
for new HVAC units for
the county jail, totaling
$54,148.64 with a five
year warranty on parts
and one year on labor.
Other approvals
included an intergov
ernmental agreement
between the county and
city of Barnesville to
develop some property
on Roberta Drive, with
the Industrial Develop
ment Authority included
in order to facilitate new
businesses. The 2021 up
date on the Solid Waste
Management Plan was
okayed, with discussions
on the waste-to-energy
project that is in its early
stages. LCRSWA direc
tor Johnny Poore said at
the meeting the concen
tration in the updated
plan is on the project,
plus protection of water
recharge areas, buffer
wetlands and other en
vironmentally sensitive
areas adjacent to or near
the Cedar Grove Landfill.
County administrator
Sean Townsend reported
that SPLOST collec
tions for June totaled
$214,415.88. During com
missioners’ roundtable,
Bennie Horton thanked
everyone for their kind
ness and support on the
death of his wife, Viva-
don, several weeks ago.
“I just want to remind
you all to make sure you
love your spouses and
let them know that; take
time for them,” Horton
added.
Kiwanis luau raffle
A Reverse Raffle Luau
will be presented by the
Barnesville Kiwanis Club
at 7 p.m. on Friday, Au
gust 20 at the Barnesville
Civic Center. Tickets are
$100 for two people and
include an all you can eat
buffet, prizes and adult
beverages. Grand prize is
$5,000 cash.
Attendees must be
21 to enter and must
provide ID. Live enter
tainment will feature The
Wild Blue Band and the
return of TJ the DJ as
emcee.
Only 200 tickets will
be sold. All proceeds
benefit local initiatives.
To purchase tickets call
Chad Williams 770-358-
7211, TJ Imberger 770-
584-3448, Doug Cherry
770-468-0066 or any
Kiwanis board member.
Dyer, Lowry make Dean's List
Georgia Southern University recently recognized
approximately 3,560 students for excellence in
academics on the Spring 2021 Dean’s List, including
students from Lamar County.
Local students honored on the Dean’s List include
Noah Dyer of Milner and Kendal Lowry of Barnes
ville.
To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must
have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a
minimum of 12 hours for the semester.
Shearouse, Tenney,
Turner make President's list
Georgia Southern University recently recognized
approximately 2,370 students for excellence in aca
demics on the Spring 2021 President’s List, including
several students from Lamar County.
Local students who earned the President’s List
honor include Marykate Shearouse of Barnesville,
Michael Tenney of Barnesville and Mary Turner of
Barnesville.
To be eligible for the President’s List, a student
must have at least a 4.0 grade point average and
carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.
BARNESVILLE MARBLE &
GRANITE COMPANY
Serving Middle Georgia For 110 Years
Designers & Manufacturers of
Marble, Granite & Bronze Since 1908
George & Janice Moore
770-358-1470
124 Railroad St., Barnesville, GA 30204
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Gina Williams and Gizzy at a drive through recently.
Gizzy gives kisses
Running errands for
Gina Williams usually
draws a lot of attention
as she carries her six-
year-old blue and yel
low Macaw Parrot with
her around town on the
window sill of her SUV.
Gizzy enjoys taking rides
in the car and that means
for a pleasant time get
ting errands done around
downtown Barnesville.
“She’s my everything.
She’s definitely the talk
of the town,” Gina. “I own
Barnesville Monogram-
ming downtown and she
goes to work with me
every day so everybody’s
ranting and raving about
her. She is so sweet and
loves to give kisses. Ev
eryone loves her.”
Gizzy is 6 years old
and has been Gina’s clos
est friend for the past two
and a half years. They
even have conversations
together, although Gizzy
doesn’t talk much around
other people.
“She is with me every
day and everything
about her is special,”
said Gina.
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(770) 358-1678
526 College Dr.
Barnesville, GA 30204
email: wwfhbmc@att.net
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