Author: Submitted

Ms. Linda Fern Ray Ellis, age 72, of Douglas passed away Wednesday evening, October 7, 2015, at the Coffee Regional Medical Center, following a brief illness. She was born April 24, 1943 to the late Lonnie Escol Ray and the late Ocie Durrance Ray. Ms. Ellis, a native of Wayne County, was a retired bookkeeper with Pilgrim Pride. She had previously been an employee of TG&Y. She was also preceded in death by a Sister, Lucille Rooks. Ms. Ellis was a member of the Eastside Baptist Church. Survivors include: 2 Daughters: Penny (Stephen) Adams ; and Debbie (Mike) Sears, all…

Martha Courson, age 51, of Douglas, GA passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2015, at her residence following an extended illness. Ms. Courson was born on May 7, 1964, in Douglas, GA to the late Clint Cornelius Courson and Betty Anne Tillman Courson. Survivors include: her daughter, Courtney Lauren Sears of Macon, GA; sister Nancy J. Courson of Douglas, GA; grandson, Kason Sears of Macon, GA; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Graveside Service will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Douglas…

Myrtle Louise Hayes, age 89, of Callahan, FL passed away on Saturday, October 10, 2015, at Community Hospice Riverside Center, Jacksonville, FL following an extended illness. Mrs. Hayes was born on September 13, 1926, in Wrightsville, GA to the late John Marion Ely and Jessie Mae Tapley Ely. Survivors include: her four sons, Robert Irvin Sprinkle of Douglas, GA, Elton Steptoe of Callahan, FL, John Daniel Malone of Briceville, FL, and Jimmy Wayne Malone of Jacksonville, FL; two brothers, J.L. Ely of Fitzgerald, GA and Merle Ely of Waycross, GA; several grandchildren; several great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. She…

Don Edward Adams, Jr., aka L’il Don, 30, and Ashleigh Brooke Johnson, 28, both from Douglas, were indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with conspiring to traffic oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. Both defendants have appeared for their arraignments before United States Magistrate Judge R. Stan Baker in the federal courthouse in Waycross and were ordered to remain detained pending a trial or other disposition. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. United States Attorney Ed Tarver emphasized that the indictment is only an…

Mr. Nelson Royal, age 91, of Douglas, passed away on Friday, October 09, 2015 at Oxton Place of Douglas following an extended illness. Mr. Nelson was born on July 18,1924 in Atkinson County, GA to the late Harlow and Rilsa McDonald Royal. Mr. Royal spent his first 25 years as a farmer, raising corn, peanuts, cotton, tobacco, cattle, hogs and working turpentine. After that he worked with an electrical contractor wiring homes and businesses in Coffee County. In 1969 he began work for Kaiser in charge of maintenance. When Fabwell bought Kaiser in 1982 he continued to work as a…

Oleta Carter Walker, age 93, of Nicholls, GA passed away on Thursday, October 8, 2015, at her residence following an extended illness. Mrs. Walker was born on December 1, 1921, in Douglas, GA to the late Warren Carter and Viola Kight Carter. Survivors include: her two sons, Tom Walker and Ronnie Edison (Betty) Walker both of Nicholls, GA; four daughters, Shirley Ann Butts of Douglas, GA, Jeri Dewayne Williams of Nicholls, GA, Janice (Carl) Barnett of Douglas, GA, and Deleta (Nathan) Henderson of Nicholls, GA; brother, Max Carter of Douglas, GA; sister, Geraldine Kirkland of Douglas, GA; grandchildren, Eddie Butts,…

The first Douglas Citizen Police Academy held its graduation on Thursday, October 8, at the Douglas Police Department. A total of 17 participants graduated the program, with the youngest being two high school female students. The Douglas Police Department is very proud of the first eight-week academy and looks forward to the next one. – Submitted

Amy Hancock recently attended the Phi Theta Kappa Advisor Institute at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. Hancock is a South Georgia State College advisor for the Kappa Sigma and Alpha Rho Omega chapters of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Associate Regional Coordinator for Georgia. The Advisor Institute is designed to equip new and seasoned advisors with tools and techniques to help the colleges reap the benefits of a fully engaged Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Currently, each of SGSC’s chapters holds the distinction of being a Five Star Chapter, which is the Society’s highest ranking. The Institute was…

Students, parents, teachers, and administrators enjoyed a night filled with frightful, educational fun at Westside Elementary School on ‘Spooky Science Night’ on Oct. 8. Those in attendance wore spooky costumes, were entertained by fabulous first grade singers, learned about the connection between informational reading and writing, and conducted science experiments. The evening was topped off with a free hot dog supper in the Westside Café. Special thanks to Academic Coach Kim Caves for planning this frightfully fun and educational event. – Submitted