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Mr. William T. Page, Jr. age 70, of Fitzgerald formerly of Douglas, passed away Friday morning, January 11, 2019 at Lifecare Center in Fitzgerald following an extended illness. Mr. Page was born July 14, 1948 to the late William Page, Sr. and the late Lucille Duckworth Page. Mr. Page was a native of North Carolina. Survivors include: Sister: Davena Sawyer of Jacksonville, Fla.; and several other relatives and friends, including his friends at Lifecare Center in Fitzgerald. Inurnment will follow at a later date. Ricketson Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Ricky Darrell Merritt, age 60, of Douglas, passed away on Tuesday January 15, 2019 at his residence. Mr. Merritt was born on December 14, 1958 in Douglas, the son of the late Aubrey and Grace Wilkes Merritt and Harrell and Bernice Merritt Sumner. He worked as a butcher and was a member of West Ward Church of God. Survivors include a son, Richard Merritt of Douglas; two daughters, Tracey Merritt of Fitzgerald and Graceann Merritt of Albany; three brothers, Donnie Sumner of Tifton, Chris Sumner of Valdosta, and Stacey Sumner of Sylvester; sister, Latricia Sumner of Tifton; three…

The Coffee County Adult Education program of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has grants available for students working towards a GED. Students enrolling in GED classes may be eligible for funds to assist with transportation and the cost of the GED tests as well as incentives when completing the GED and entering employment or college. The WIOA Out of School Youth grant is available to students who are at 16-24 years of age and meet other eligibility requirements. Funding is available through a partnership with WorkSource Georgia of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission. The Coffee County Adult Education program…

A large crowd of friends and family, along with city, county and Chamber of Commerce officials, joined Alvin and Phyllis Ricketson for the opening of the first crematory service in the Douglas-Coffee County area. On behalf of the family, Phyllis shared the history of Ricketson Funeral Home which began with Alvin’s dream of coming back to Douglas to open his own funeral home. He, alongside his father, Alvin Sr., (now deceased) opened their first home in 1974 and have continued to expand funeral services to include a 400-seat chapel, monuments and cremation. Pastor Britt Peavy shared Scripture and prayed for…

In an initiative to advance the level of cardiac care available to patients of Coffee and surrounding counties, and continue the “Bring it Home” initiative to bring vital healthcare services home, Coffee Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is proud to announce the launch of its new Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Program. After successfully completing a multi-level process, Coffee Regional has received its approval from the State of Georgia’s Department of Community Health to begin offering cardiac intervention services. Under the encouragement of Coffee Regional CEO Vicki Lewis, the development of this new service line was approved to begin in July…

By Brandon Miller Coffee High’s history on the gridiron is littered with great players. Invariably, when people talk about the greatest Trojans, they often go back to the 70’s and early to mid-80’s. The story here, however, is about Coffee High’s most recent high flyer — Jameon Gaskin, two-time All-State linebacker and current starting linebacker for the national champion Valdosta State Blazers. Jameon began playing football at the tender age of five years old. His career began as a defensive linemen and linebacker, but he settled in at linebacker. By the time middle school came around, he was…

The Coffee County Drug Unit announces the following recent arrests: Jan. 8 – Tony Mobley was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and Hope Strickland was charged with a possession of a controlled substance after authorities investigated an incident at the Nicholls Pharmacy in Nicholls. Jan. 9 – Christopher Brockington was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute after detectives conducted a search of a room he was occupying at the Douglas Inn motel, 907 N. Peterson Avenue in Douglas. Jan. 9 – Brandon Smith was jailed for possession of methamphetamine,…

Our precious daughter, Summer Cheyenne Pittman, went to be home with Jesus on Sunday, January 13, 2019. She is survived by her loving parents, Leonne and Amanda Pittman; older brother, Skyler; younger brother, Peyton; and little sister, Peylyn. Her maternal grandparents are Jerry and Cathy Davis of Axson. Paternal grandparents are Curtice Pittman of Waycross and Maxine Smith of Pearson. Her aunts and uncles are Scarlett and Jerry Riggins and Colleen and Jess Griffis, all of Pearson. Funeral services for Miss Summer will be held Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 2:00 P.M., at Zenith Baptist Church in Millwood…

Joseph Melvin Fletcher, age 72, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday January 13, 2019, as a result of a bout with double pneumonia on top of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer he had survived for ten years. Mr. Fletcher was born and raised in Douglas, son of the late Dewey and Linnie Fletcher and grandson of Esterlee Jowers, who loved and lent his name to the well-known Jowers Chapel in Coffee County. Joe attended Coffee County High School where he gained much popularity as a member of the Comet football team, being named lineman of the…

Satilla Regional Library System will be holding the following programs during the month of January for children, tweens, and teens. Come and join the fun at Satilla Regional Library System!! For more information about upcoming children and teen programs please call Julie M. Vickers, Children’s and Young Adult Librarian at (912) 384-4667 or contact via e-mail: macomberj@srlsys.org. Please visit www.srlsys.org, like on Facebook at facebook.com/SatillaRegionalLibrary and Twitter @SatillaLibrary. Holiday Closings Satilla Regional Library will be closed Monday, January 21, 2019 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Special Saturday Events January Saturday Event (Third Saturday of the Month)…