Newspaper Page Text
Page 6A
April 6, 2022
•Reporter
Elizabeth Passmore-Meeks
October 4,1931 - March 30, 2022
Elizabeth “Nadine” Wilson Passmore-Meeks, 90, of
Forsyth passed away March 30,2022.
Nadine was born Oct. 4,1931 to the late Lee & Mary
Wilson, in Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga.
She is survived by two sons Les (Sandi) Passmore Jr;
William (Ruth) Passmore both of Forsyth; granddaughters
April (David) Walker, Forsyth; Tara (Alvin) Hodge, Penn
sylvania; and Rebekah L. Passmore who preceded her in
death; nine great grandchildren; two brothers Gordon
(Bobbie) Wilson, Medical Lake, WA; Talmadge (Becky)
Wilson, of Montana and a sister Willene Castleberry of
Forsyth, GA.
The family greeted friends Sunday, April 3,2022 at Mon
roe County Memorial Chapel with graveside services fol
lowing at Monroe Hills Memorial Gardens. Rev. Jeremy
Causey officiated.
Please visit www.monroecoimtymemorialchapel.com to
express tributes.
Monroe County Memorial Chapel had charge of ar
rangements.
Harold Glasco
April 5,1932 - March 26, 2022
Public Viewing for Mr. Harold Glasco
was Thursday, March 31,2022. Homego
ing Services for Mr. Harold Glasco were 12
noon on Friday, April 1,2022 at Pleasant
Grove Baptist Church, 82 Moore Road,
Macon, Georgia 31210. Reverend Rufus J. Whatley offici
ated.
Call your local Monroe County representative
Scott Harrell
478-256-3586
or toll free: 800-551-1102
3250 Vineville Ave., Macon, GA 31208 r
William Thomas Raines
March 3,1930 - March 31, 2022
William Thomas Raines, 92, of Mon
roe, Ga., husband, father, grandfather,
great-grandfather, journeyed home to
be with the Lord on March 31,2022.
He was born on March 3,1930 in
Monroe County to the late George
Thomas and Mamie Ruth Raines and
was preceded in death by his wife of 68
years, Gailya Rentz Raines.
Tom was a 1948 graduate of Mary
Persons High School. He is survived
by three loving and devoted children, Sheryl McHugh
(Jimmy) of Monroe; Tom Raines, Jr. of Dacula; and San
dra Martino (Chuck) of Virginia. He is also survived by
10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-
great grandchildren. Other survivors include sister Mary
Calhoun of Monroe; in-laws Wanda Palmer (Danny) of
Maryland and Kline Rentz (Lana) of Louisiana as well as
numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. The family is so
very grateful for the care received by wonderful caregivers
throughout the years.
Mr. Raines worked for Georgia Natural Gas/Atlanta
Gas Light for 43 years. He worked his way from service
technician to vice president at retirement. Upon retiring
he enjoyed spending time with family and restoring old
cars especially his 1930 Model A. He will be forever re
membered for his kindness, generosity and if you listened
closely his wonderfully dry sense of humor.
A memorial service was held on Sunday, April 3,2022 at
Harmony Grove United Methodist Church. Visitation was
held prior to the service and interment followed at Mon
roe Memorial Gardens in Forsyth. Flowers may be sent to
Bill Head Funeral Home in Tucker, Georgia or donations
may be made to Harmony Grove UMC, 50 Harmony
Grove Road, Lilburn, Georgia 30047.
Online condolences may be left at www.billheadfuneral-
home.com.
Arrangements by Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crema
tory Lilburn/Tucker Chapel (770)564-2726.
Barnesville Marble & Granite Company
Serving Middle Georgia for over 100 Years
Designers & Manufacturers
of Marble, Granite, &
Bronze Memorials
Since 1908
Georgia & Janice Moore
Authorized
Georgia Marble Dealer
Railroad & Main Street • Barnesville, GA • 770-358-1470
Roy Middleton
July 14,1950 - March 31, 2022
Roy Middleton, born July 14,1950, in
Macon to Hollis and Ella Mae Middle-
ton, passed unexpectedly and peace
fully at home in his sleep, Thursday,
March 31,2022. He had three other
siblings: Hollis, who along with his
parents predeceased Roy, and Clinton
and Lou.
Roy attended Pleasant Grove El
ementary School, Hubbard High
School, and Upson Technical College
in Thomaston where he obtained a degree in auto body
repair. He successfully owned and operated his own busi
ness “Roys Paint & Body Shop” in Macon. He was well
known for his superior quality work and his friendly and
gracious demeanor, both of which led to a more than 40-
year successful business.
Roy was a dedicated servant of the Lord. He joined
Williams Chapel Church at an early age and rededicated
his life to Christ as an adult. He served many years as an
Usher and was President of the Trustee Board. In his spare
time, Roy loved to fish and cook, but family was his great
est love. He found great joy in hosting large family gather
ings and on most holidays, Roy could be found manning
multiple grills as he was never satisfied with cooking just
one thing. He enjoyed a friendly home-made barbecue
sauce competition with his brothers; and, he established a
family tradition of cooking hearty country breakfasts after
Sunday church services for his brothers and more recently,
one of his nephews. He was a fierce protector of his family
and especially his mother Ella, whom he cherished.
Roy also loved history and sports and was an avid gar
dener who believed in holistic, naturally grown produce.
He grew large quantities of collard greens, cabbage, hot
peppers, squash, watermelons and more, but never used
pesticides or artificial growth aids in his gardens. Roys
multiple interests, natural curiosity, and adventurous spirit
helped him live fife to its fullest. He was the glue that held
his family together and will be greatly missed by his loving
wife, Linda Faye; two daughters, Regina King (Trenton)
and Rashon Bloodser; two step sons, Timothy and Walter
Ford; brother, Clinton Middleton (Charlotte); sister, Lou
Dixon (Robert); a number of sisters and brothers-in-law,
notably Jossie Middleton, Patsy Bonds, Annie Taylor
and Grady Williams; Uncle, Robert Middleton; ten (10)
grandchildren; six (6) great grandchildren; nephews Hollis
III (Tabitha), Christopher (Christy), Clindon, Delvecchio
and Darius Middleton; niece, Bridget Middleton; and a
host of other relatives and friends.
Homegoing services will be at 12 noon on Saturday,
April 9,2022, at New Providence Baptist Church, 2560
US-41, Forsyth, Georgia. Burial will be at Monroe Hills
Memorial Gardens in Forsyth.
Monroe County Elections 2022
Battle vs. Soule: Board of Education District 1
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Sherrye Battle is a candi
date for Monroe County
Board of Education
District 1. She is a native
of Memphis, Tenn. who
came to Forsyth to attend
Tiff College and has made
Forsyth her home ever
since. Upon graduating
from Tiff, Battle applied
for a teaching position at
Monroe County Middle
School, where she had
completed her student
teaching, and was hired by
Principal Cecil Porter.
Battle taught science for
32 years, one year at Mary
Persons and the rest at
Monroe Countys middle
school, before retiring in
2010. Retirement couldn’t
keep her away from teach
ing, however. She worked
as a substitute teacher in
various Monroe County
Schools, primarily at Mary
Persons, from the fall of
2010 until 2019-20 and
also taught GED students
through Central Georgia
Technical College for
about two years.
Through CGTC Battle
was referred to the GED
program at Burruss Cor
rectional Institute and
after two years transi
tioned to teaching inmates
working toward their high
school diplomas through
Foothills Charter School.
Battle said that working at
Burruss is one of the most
rewarding things she has
done as a teacher because
of how appreciative the
students are.
“I love the children of
Monroe County’ said
Battle when asking why
she is seeking a seat on the
Sherrye Battle
Board of Education. “We
have a wonderful school
system, teachers and
administration, but we can
improve, especially from
the child’s point of view.”
She said she wants to
see more emphasis on
teachers interacting with
students. She said the
remote learning brought
about by Covid has shown
that while technology is
good, it has taken away
from the real meaning of
teaching.
“It can’t beat a smile, a
hug,” she said. “We need to
be aware of the total child.”
Battle, who holds a
Masters degree from Fort
Valley State and is just
short of completing her
Specialist degree, said
that when she attended
BOE meetings in person
and virtually, she felt that
stakeholders weren’t en
couraged to express their
opinions to the board. She
said people looked frus
trated and angry because
they couldn’t tell board
members their concerns.
“We need more stake
holder input,” said Battle.
“I like to listen. I’m willing
to hear all sides. I want
District 1 constituents to
come talk with me, not to
me, so that we can begin
to resolve issues.”
She said that when she
began thinking about
running for the seat, she
read the BOE bylaws and
other pertinent paper
work to understand what
she could do. She held a
Meet & Greet at Kynette
United Methodist Church
on March 18 to begin that
journey of listening.
Something else that
Battle would like to see at
Monroe Coimty Schools
is more emphasis on the
CTAE (Career, Technical
& Agricultural Education)
programs. She thinks that
having more students
trained in career skills will
benefit both the students
and the community. It will
bring businesses and in
dustry looking for skilled
workers to Forsyth and it
will keep more students in
the area.
Battle is married to
Leonard Battle, and they
have two adult children.
Davion Battle holds a
teaching degree in music
and is working on his doc
torate. He is a keyboardist
who works at churches
and various events. Dr.
Katrina Nychole Battle
lives in Austin, Texas and
works with environmental
quality air emissions.
This is Battle’s first time
to seek an elected office,
but after working with
middle school students
for over 30 years, she feels
ready for the challenge
of dealing with people as
she campaigns and as she
represents constituents on
the board.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Diane Soule is a candidate for Monroe
Coimty Board of Education
District 1. She has lived in
Monroe County since 2016
and came to Georgia from
Wyoming. She is married to
Chris Soule, and they have
three sons. The youngest is a
senior at Mary Persons; the
middle son graduated from
Mary Persons and is attending
Piedmont College in Demor-
est.
She said she was inspired to
run for school board by the
children. She said it is impor
tant that parents be able to
parent and schools be able to
teach. She wants all Monroe
County students to get the best education
possible.
“Monroe County is good with that, but
we can focus on it even more,” said Soule.
Although her youngest child will gradu
ate in May, she has one grandson who will
be in kindergarten in Monroe County next
year and another grandson who will enter
school soon.
Soule said she feels it important that
parents make choices for their children
on issues like masks. She also believes that
Critical Race Theory has no place in el
ementary, middle or high school; she feels
it belongs at the college
level.
“We’ve got to fight for
our kids,” she said.
Soule said extracur
ricular activities should be
varied to provide some
thing for students of all
interests. Her middle son
was active in the baseball
program at Mary Persons,
and her younger son
has been involved in the
JROTC program and will
enter the U.S. Air Force in
July. She said all extracur
ricular activities should
have access to fundraising
so they can enhance their programs and
provide as many opportunities for students
as possible.
This is Soule’s first run for a public of
fice. She worked in the dental field from
2001-18, which gave her opportunities to
become knowledgeable about health and
to interact with a variety of people. She is
now the primary caregiver for her mother.
Diane Soule
BALL
Continued from Front
building in the center. From
there extends four baseball
diamonds in a circle. Cromer
was returning from the
concessions with a Diet Coke
and looking at his phone
when a foul ball arched over
the Field 2 backstop and hit
him in the head and sent
him to the ground. Cromer
said Kip and Dano Burdette’s
small kids were nearby and
he shudders to think what
would’ve happened if they
had been hit.
“I’ve got a pretty hard
head,” said Cromer. Cromer
told commissioners he was
honestly glad he was hit
and not a child. The impact
forced Cromer to drop his
phone to the ground and
cracked the screen. Cromer
suggested commissioners
halt simultaneous games
until they find nets. But
Sparks said that would leave
them not finishing the rec
season until June. Cromer’s
son in law said he too op
posed halting rec games on
the fields. Cromer said he
was told the nets had already
been ordered but asked to
see an invoice when he’s
learned that’s not true. Sparks
explained that’s he’s been try
ing to order them but can’t
find a vendor. He said he has
learned since Saturday that
6 people have been hit with
errant baseballs this season,
but only 2 of the incidents
would have been prevented
by the nets. Sparks noted that
many ballparks don’t have
nets. Commissioners sug
gested the rec board handle
the issue and said they
should create signs warning
spectators of errant base
balls. Commissioner George
Emami said spectators do
take some risk when they
attend games. Sparks said the
net issue is just the latest in a
series of challenges. He said
the company installing the
lights on Fields 1-4 struck the
septic tank, requiring it to be
replaced. Another company
hired to paint lines on the
parking lot did so just before
a big rain, which washed the
lines away.
“I feel like I’ve bought
an old home Fm trying to
restore and everything keeps
going sideways,” laughed
Sparks.