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Tuesday, August 24,2021 Chi' l)era(ti <©a??tt? 5A
DEATH NOTICES
Obituaries are published as received
Barry Wayne
McWilliams
Barry Wayne McWilliams passed away on August
14, 2021, at his home outside Whitehall, Montana. He
was 79 years old.
Barry was born on February 17, 1942, in North
Hollywood, California, to Leigh and Irene (Hewitt)
McWilliams in a hospital with
blackout curtains due to the
fear of Japanese invasion of
the west coast following Pearl
Harbor. He spent his younger
years in what he referred
to as an “immigrant home”
where three distinct families
shared a small three-bedroom
house with wall-to-wall mat
tresses. Throughout his life, he
reminisced about that simpler
time growing up on Carpenter
Avenue with his beloved sister
and cousins.
His love of literature led
him to his first true profession,
teaching English, but it was not
to be his last. He trained hors
es in the mountains of North
ern New Mexico, drove a Pepsi
truck and later a talc truck, and
ultimately found himself selling
ads and shooting pictures for
the Madisonian, a small weekly
newspaper in Virginia City,
Montana, where he realized his lifelong dream of be
ing a cartoonist might actually happen. At first, began
drawing his weekly editorial cartoon, J.P. Doodles,
for the Madisonian — for free. A few months later, he
split a week’s worth of firewood for his family, bought
a week’s worth of food, spent his last $20 on gas,
and headed out across Montana on a late-November
night with packets of cartoons. The first paper to
sign on was the Sanders County Ledger in Thomp
son Falls, Montana. Eventually, he cartooned from
four continents for more than 1,500 newspapers and
visited hundreds of elementary schools teaching kids
to draw. He continued ‘tooning right up to the end,
sending out his last Back-to-School cartoon on the
Thursday before he passed.
Barry was a character. Unique. Unlike anyone
you’ve ever met. He was a born salesman and an
incredible idealist. He was an adventurer who hitch
hiked around Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War
to interview soldiers, joined a government trade
mission to Asia, declared himself “shipwrecked” on
Flinders Island off the southern coast of Australia,
and helped mastermind America’s biggest cattle
drive in over a hundred years. He was a poet, an
enigma, and a dreamer. He could walk into a res
taurant and sit there for hours talking to complete
strangers who quickly became friends. He had a
tremendous love for animals, something his mother
instilled in him at a young age that gave him purpose
until the day he passed. His hearty laugh could fill a
room, often followed by a subdued “oh, sh*t.” Some
times, he was exasperating, but never intentionally;
at his core, he had the biggest heart and the best
intentions. He was a brother, a cousin, an uncle, and
a husband (a number of times). He was a father and
Papa Bar who loved his kids and grandkids above
all else, even when he struggled to show it. He didn’t
believe in boundaries or limits, only that they were
a perception and something to overcome. He never
seemed to be in a hurry except when he needed to
get his cartoons out to the papers.
Barry was preceded in death by his parents Leigh
and Irene McWilliams; his sister Maureen (Charles)
Byrne and baby sister Cheryl McWilliams who died
during infancy; his half-brother Leigh (Milly) McWil
liams Jr. and half-sister Eleanor (Bob) Sowers; as well
as numerous other relatives he kept in contact with
on and off throughout the years. He is survived by
his children, Colin (Cynthia) McWilliams, Summer
(Michael) Marston, Ethan (Megan) McWilliams, and
Noah (Jessica) McWilliams; his eight grandchildren,
Kirby, Catherine, Amelia, River, Grant, Matilda, Gar
rett, and Charlotte; as well as the incredible ladies
he married (not all at the same time) and mothers
to his kids, Catharine (Courter) Dombrovske, Nancy
(Smith) Tarnai, and Mary Ellen Doty.
A celebration of life will be held on Thursday,
August 26, 2021, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Whitehall
Community Center, 11 N. Division Street, Whitehall
MT 59759. The public is welcome.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to 4
Paws Rescue, PO Box 13, Cardwell MT 59721. Memo
ries, anecdotes, etc. are encouraged and can be
shared with his kids by emailing Barry@BarrysCar-
toons.com.
John Milton Jackson
Mr. John Milton Jackson, age 87, of Barnesville,
Georgia, passed away on Thursday, August 12, 2021
at Upson Regional Medical Center.
John was born on Thursday, October 12, 1933 in
Conyers, Georgia to the late Dave Jackson and the
late Exer Waldrop Jackson. He was preceded in death
by a wife, Mildred Moore Jackson. He retired from
Davis Cooper Ford. John enjoyed watching wrestling,
listening to Johnny Cash, watching movies and travel
ing to the mountains and the beach. He was a mem
ber of Emmanuel Baptist Church.
John is survived by children, David & Jenny
Jackson, Edward & Allyson Jackson, Theresa & Derek
Dawson; grandchildren, Ashley Jackson, Scott Jack-
son, Oreon Jackson, Daniel Jackson, Natalie Morris;
great-grandchildren, Chaz Jackson, Charlton Jackson,
Bryce Smith, Kenslie Smith, Avalon Smith; special
friend, Janice McJunkin.
Funeral services for Mr. John Jackson was held at
11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Emmanuel
Baptist Church with Reverend Bud Gleaton officiat
ing. Interment followed in Greenwood Cemetery.
Friends visited the family on Friday evening from
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu
of flowers, please consider making a donation to the
Wounded Warriors Project (https://www.wounded-
warriorproject.org/) in memory of Mr. John Jackson.
To make an online condolence, please visit www.
williams-westburyfuneralhome.com
Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College
Drive, Barnesville, is serving the Jackson Family.
Robert Dallas
Blackmon
Robert Dallas Blackmon, age 47, of Forsyth passed
away Monday, August 16, 2021. His wishes were to be
cremated. A memorial service will be held at a later
date.
Robert, the son of the late Johnny Frank Blackmon
and Rita Angela White Blackmon was born July 6,
1974 in Forsyth, Georgia. His brother Johnny Frank
Blackmon preceded him in death. He was employed
as a shipping supervisor with Jordan Forestry Saw
Mill.
Robert is survived by Laurie Blackmon of Forsyth;
children, Bailey Blackmon and Austin Blackmon
of Forsyth; brother; Richard Blackmon of Forsyth;
sister-in-law, Nancy Blackmon; niece, Ashley Black
mon; nephew, James Blackmon (Mallory) of Thomas-
ton; great nephew, Jacob Blackmon; nephew, Jason
Whitcomb; uncles James Blackmon (Ella) and Gary
White (Peggy) of Barnesville; and a host of cousins.
Please visit www.monroecountymemorialchapel.
com to express tributes.
Monroe County Memorial Chapel has charge of
local arrangements.
Barry Eugene Casteel
Mr. Barry Eugene Casteel, age 85, of Barnesville,
Georgia, passed away on Monday, August 16, 2021 at
Upson Regional Medical Center.
Barry was born on Thursday, September 2, 1935
in Thomaston, Georgia to the late Claude Edward
Casteel and the late Willie Hazel Britt Casteel. He
was preceded in death by a wife, Geraldine Rogers
Casteel; son, Britt Casteel; a brother and two sisters.
Barry was a proud Veteran of the United States Army
and the United States Navy. He retired from Aldora
Mills. He enjoyed dancing, woodworking, and watch
ing westerns. He was a lifetime member of the Lamar
County VFW.
Barry is survived by his children, Robin & Mark
Long, Craig & Annette Casteel, Pebbles Fisher,
Christie & Jimmy Lane; 11 grandchildren; 16 great
grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; several
nieces and nephews.
Graveside funeral services for Mr. Barry Casteel
were held at 12:00 noon on Thursday, August 19, 2021
at Andersonville National Cemetery. Friends visited
the family on Wednesday evening from 6:00 p.m. until
8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
To make an online condolence, please visit www.
williams-westburyfuneralhome.com
Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College
Drive, Barnesville, is serving the Casteel Family.
Extension office is open
The Lamar County Extension office is open to the
public. “We sincerely appreciate the patience of the
public during the repair and renovation of our office,”
said Octavia Jackson. “Please contact us at 770-358-
5163 if you have any questions.”
Jennfier Hand, Katherine Mann
honored at Abraham Baldwin
Students who
achieved academ
ic excellence in
their course work
during the sum
mer term were
recently recog
nized at Abraham
Baldwin Agricul
tural College, including
two students from Lamar
County.
Jennifer Hand of
Barnesville and Kather
ine Mann of Mil
ner both earned
the Distinguished
Achievement List
honor.
The Distin
guished Achieve
ment List is com
posed of students
who complete between
six and 11 hours of aca
demic work with a grade
point average of 3.5 or
higher on a 4.0 scale.
NEED ANSWERS?
Are you facing an unplanned pregnancy?
Free pregnancy test and other resources
Our goal? To empower you to make a choice you can live with.
www.pregnancycentermonroecounty.org
The Pregnancy Center
13 N. Lee Street, Suite 2000
On the Square in Forsyth
478-994-3173 0PTI0NLINE.ORG
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
The Barnesville-Lamar County Library
Wanted: Part-Time Library Assistant
The library is looking for a part-time Library Assistant to
work 15-20 hours per week including Saturdays.
We are looking for a dependable, energetic person with
developed customer service skills, who will work with a
minimum of supervision and exercises excellent inde
pendent judgement: speaks effectively and is attentive to
details.
Duties include: patron services, computer assistance
and other duties assigned by the Branch Manager. Must
be able to lift a minimum of 20 pounds.
Minimum Training and Experience: High School
Diploma and familiar with computers.
Applications and resumes’: May be submitted to the
Library Manager in person at 401 Thomaston Street,
Barnesville GA.
For more information, call the
Barnesville-Lamar County Library
770-358-3270
l
~ The Fletcher Family ~
We would like to express our sincere gratitude
to everyone that called, text, visited, gave
tokens of love, etc. Navigating through this
unimaginable time was more at ease with the
love and support shown by each of you to our
family. We are forever grateful. As we adjust to
our new normal, we ask that you continue to
keep us lifted and prayed up.
i
Happy Birthday!
Wishing our Mother and GG
Sandra Morris
a Happy Bithday from
Sista, Larry Jr., Mandy,
Angie, Kiara, Q, Myah,
Daysha, T.T., Jaylen,
and Grayson
Public Meetings
•Aldora Town Commission, Tuesday, September
14,10 a.m., Barnesville Housing Authority;
•Barnesville City Council, Monday, September 6,
5:30 p.m., police station;
• Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial Development
Authority, Thursday, September 9,10:30 a.m.,
Chamber/IDA board room;
• Barnesville-Lamar County Library Board, Tuesday,
Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m.
•Family Connections Collaborative, Thursday,
September 9, 9 a.m., E.P. Roberts Center;
• Lamar County Tax Assessors, September 9, 2
p.m., administration building;
• Lamar County Board of Education, Monday,
September 13, 6 p.m., board offices;
• Lamar County Board of Elections, Monday, Sep
tember 27, 6 p.m., administration building;
• Lamar County Commission, Tuesday, September
21, 7 p.m., courthouse;
• Lamar County Health Dept. Thursday, November
18,12 p.m. Health Dept. Building;
• Lamar County Soil and Water Conservation
District, Wednesday, September 1, 9 a.m., USDA
service center;
•Milner City Council, Monday, September 20, 6
p.m., Milner Community Library.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted...
PSALM 34:18
“Caring Is Our Business”
Owned and Operated by
Joe and Drew Westbury
(770) 358-1678
526 College Dr.
Barnesville, GA 30204
email: wwfhbmc@att.net
williams-westburyfuneralhome.com
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770.358.NEWS