DEATH NOTICE

Rebecca Cooper, age 81, of Hemingway, S.C.

MEMORIAL NOTICE

Ernest Coon Jr.

A memorial service for Ernest L. Coon Jr. will be held Saturday, Dec. 1st at 11 a.m. in the Chapel at the Georgetown Presbyterian Church.

FUNERAL SERVICES

Johnnie Hale

Johnnie Doyle Hale (nee Jonathan Ingell Hazard Doyle), 85, formerly of Atlanta, Ga., went home to Heaven on Thursday, November 22, 2012.  

Mrs. Hale, the daughter of the late Joseph Ambrose Doyle Sr. and Ruth Hattie Hazard, was born in Florence, S.C. and grew up in Georgetown, S.C.  

She graduated from Winyah High School and Converse College (B.A.), and after teaching at the Episcopal Day School in Augusta, Ga. she obtained a Master’s degree from the George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University.  

Mrs. Hale subsequently taught in Atlanta at Dekalb Christian Academy and the preschool of First Alliance Church, where she was a member.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Morris S. Hale Jr.; and two brothers, Joseph A. Doyle, Jr. and Ingell H. Doyle.  

Survivors include her children, Alice Hale Murray and husband Paul Tyre of Valparaiso, Fla., Dr. Dorothy Hale Boothe and husband Michael of Watkinsville, Ga., and Lt. Col. Morris Doyle Hale and wife Clarissa of Emerald Isle, N.C.; brothers, Arthur H. Doyle and P. James Doyle, both of Georgetown, S.C.; and sister, Sarah Doyle Pusey of Summerville, S.C.  

“Grammy” will be missed by her grandchildren, Heather (Murray) Jopling and husband Joel, Kevin Murray, Luke Boothe, Christina Boothe, Nathan Hale, and Joseph Hale.

A memorial service celebrating Mrs. Hale’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at First Alliance Church, 2512 North Druid Hills Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329.  

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Christian church, charity, or educational institution of choice or to the following organizations supported by Mrs. Hale: China Outreach Ministries, Okinawa Christian School International, Georgetown Historical Society, and the American Bible Society.

The family expresses sincere thanks to all those who have provided care and support.  

Online memorials for Mrs. Hale can be made at www.mem.com.  

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements (www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com).

Leona Holmes

Leona Virginia Prosser Holmes, 89, widow of Leland E. Holmes, passed away on Friday, November 23, 2012 at her home.

Born on September 26, 1923, in Hannah, she was a daughter of the late Allard McCoy Prosser and the late Amanda Magnolia Powell Prosser.

Mrs. Holmes was a member of Georgetown Pentecostal Holiness Church and was involved in Women’s Ministries.

She was a nurse’s aide with McLeod Hospital before moving to Georgetown and enjoyed reading and spending time with family.

Survivors include three children, Eddie Holmes (Patricia), Beverly Britt (Douglas) and Peggy Goins (Tony), all of Georgetown; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one sister, Janice Hodge of Awendaw; one brother, Gene Prosser of Georgetown; and a number of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Rev. Ray Prosser and Robert Prosser; and a sister, Dorothy Goude.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at Georgetown Pentecostal Holiness Church.

The Rev. Clyde Glover and Rev. Lonnie Brazell officiated. Burial was in the Sampit United Methodist Church Cemetery.

The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at Georgetown Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Graham Funeral Home of Georgetown was in charge of the arrangements and condolences may be sent to www.grahamfuneralhome.org.

John Mills Jr.

John Wesley Mills Jr. passed at his residence in Atlanta, Ga. on Sunday November 25, 2012 at age 80.  

“Wes” as he was known to all, was a long-time resident of Atlanta.  

He was born in Lake City, Fla. in 1931, the son of John W. Mills Sr. and Lillie Smithson Mallory Mills.  

Wes spent his youth swimming and fishing in the lakes of Lake City, before entering the University of Florida.  

His studies were put on hold as he entered the United States Navy, returning to the University of Florida four years later to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  

After graduation, Wes began his career in the insurance industry in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he met his wife of 53 years, Sarah Turnage Mills.  

Wes and Sarah soon settled in Atlanta after a brief stint in Richmond, Va. and went on to have four children.   

Wes became well-known in the Atlanta insurance brokerage circles as a “master” at corporate insurance structuring and underwriting, and served as Vice President, Sr. Vice President and President of insurance brokerages such as The London Agency, Johnson and Higgins, Garlington Hardwick, Alexander and Alexander, and Boger, Reid and Flournoy.  

In addition to his insurance acumen, Wes spent time as a deacon at Northside Drive Baptist Church, a baseball coach and director at Northside Youth Organization (NYO) and “saved” his beloved Pawleys Island, S.C. from overdevelopment, later being elected to the Pawleys Island Town Council.  

Wes was a life member of the Capital City Club and an avid Atlanta Braves and Florida Gator fan.  

Wes was loved and respected by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.  

In the last few years, Wes battled illness, and the family would like to thank his long-time physicians, Dr. William Kenny, Dr. Sheldon Shore and Dr. Richard Hengle for “keeping him going.”  

Wes is survived by his wife, Sarah, and his children John W. Mills III of Atlanta, Bert T. Mills and his wife Carmen of Atlanta, Carolyn Mills Lovell and her husband Rick of Batesburg, S.C., and Andrew S. Mills and his wife Mary of Atlanta.  

He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, Justin Mills, Anna Mills, Hannah Mills, Wesley Mills, Jonah Mills, Jared Mills and Noah Mills, all of Atlanta. Go Gators!  

Services will be held on Friday, November 30, at 2 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement at 4945 High Point Rd. NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30342 with reception immediately following in the Parish Hall.  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Episcopal Church of the Atonement.

Olivia Neal

Olivia Neal, 84, formerly of Georgetown, S.C., died on Sunday, November 18, 2012 in New Haven, Conn.  

Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, Georgetown.

Mrs. Neal was born on September 30, 1928 in Georgetown to the marital union of Hammond Heyward and Mrs. Phyllis Washington Heyward.

She was the widow of Charles S. Neal.  

Prior to retirement, she was employed with Bayer Pharmaceuticals as a quality control inspector.

Survivors include four daughters, LaVinia Neal DuBois, Zenna Neal and Retta Neal Johnson, all of New Haven, Conn., and Serena Neal-Sanjurjo, New Orleans, La.; three sons, Charles Neal Jr., Samuel Troy Neal and Michael A. Neal, all of New Haven, Conn.; one brother, David Heyward, New Haven, Conn.; three sisters, Gloria Vaughn, Sarah Wearing, New Haven, Conn., and Mary Brown, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a guardian sister, Barbara Vaught, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and special nieces, Lucretta Enoch and Charlena Onyebor, Georgetown.

Funeral services arrangements were entrusted to Wilds Funeral Home, LLC.

Caroel White-Nowak

Caroel Ann White-Nowak of Andrews, S.C. died peacefully on Saturday morning, November 24, 2012, at Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

Caroel was born in Miami, Fla. on February 3, 1937. Her family moved from Miami to Andrews in the late 1930s when her father found work at the Kraft Paper Mill in Georgetown.  

The White family lived in the house located on Highway 41 south of Andrews a short distance south from where the new Andrews Bypass crosses Highway 41.

She and her family moved to the Panama Canal Zone in 1946, where they lived until 1950, when they returned to Andrews, to their same house on Highway 41.

Caroel attended Andrews High School and graduated from there in 1955.

Caroel was very creative. She wrote a regular column for the Georgetown Times newspaper for a time, which was very popular with readers.

Some of these articles featured stories about local residents who did unusual things, such as “Trader John” about a man in Andrews who was quite adept at swapping and trading what most people would consider junk into items that could be sold for profit.

Or the article about the man she interviewed on the side of the road in Andrews who was walking his way across the U. S.

But this is her obituary in her own words:

“Just say: “She was a faithful Witness of Jehovah for 50 years and served both here in South Carolina, and as a missionary in Ecuador, South America for eight years, helping people to understand the truth from the Bible about God's coming kingdom that will soon bring everlasting peace and happiness to all mankind. She looked forward to the time that God has promised when all righteous hearted ones will find delight in being resurrected right here on Earth made into Paradise. According to her belief in the words of Jesus, she is just ‘taking a little nap’ John 11:11, 14-44: [Jesus said to his disciples:]  ‘Our friend has gone to rest, but I am going there to wake him from sleep.’”

Caroel is survived by her younger brother, James White of Decatur, Ga.; her daughter, April Nowak-Tolen, of Washington state; her son, Kirk Nowak of Chicago, Ill.; her grandson, John Ethridge; granddaughters, Stephanie Evans and Tiffany Pierce, of Georgetown, Crystal Le Day of Louisiana and Tosha Nowak of Chicago, Ill.; and by numerous great grandchildren, which include Olivia, Emily and Sarah Evans of Georgetown, and Dominic Tolen and Gabriel Tolen, both of Chicago, Ill.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 1, 2012, at the Andrews Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness, 1135 Big Dam Swamp Road in Andrews.

Sign a guestbook at:  www.mayerfuneralhome.com.

Caroel requested that instead of flowers and cards that donations be made to the world wide work of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Georgetown Chapel of Mayer Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Jean Rice

Jean Lula Rice, 83, of the Pee Dee Community, Georgetown, S.C. died on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at Conway Medical Center.

Funeral services were held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at Trinity A.M.E. Church, Georgetown, S.C.

Mrs. Rice was born on July 6, 1929 in Conway, S.C. to the marital union of Stacey Vereen and Mrs. Elizabeth Green Vereen.

She was the widow of Mitchell Rice and a 1949 graduate of Whittemore High School.

Survivors include her children, Thomas Rice, Inkster, Mich., Ike Rice, Fayetteville, Ga., Barbara Adams, Canton, Mich., Marilyn Rice, Conway, S.C., Renina Kirkland, Conway, S.C., and Patrena Rice, Charlotte, N.C.; three sisters, Rebecca Dewitt of Virginia, Sally Rice, Hemingway, S.C., and Frankie Shreves, Romulus, Mich.

Funeral services arrangements were entrusted to Wilds Funeral Home, LLC.

Louie Tyler Sr.

Louie Holland Tyler Sr., age 82, of Johnsonville, S.C. passed away Monday, November 26, 2012 at Lake City Hospital after a sudden illness.

Mr. Tyler was born in Georgetown County, a son of the late James Hannibal and Florrie Moore Tyler.  

He worked at Player Furniture Company for 42 years.  

He retired from the Army National Guard after 20 years of service.

He graduated from Pleasant Hill High School and was a member of Good Hope United Methodist Church.

He loved to work in his yard and was a true sports enthusiast.

Surviving are his wife, Shelby Jowers Tyler of the home; son, Louie H. (Robin) Tyler of Johnsonville; grandchildren, Christina Tyler of Myrtle Beach and Jonathan Tyler of Johnsonville; brothers, B.W. (Mary Ann) Tyler of Columbia, Floyd (Joyce) Tyler of Charleston, Buford “Shot” Tyler of Conway; sisters, Johnnie Ruth Altman of Johnsonville, Mary Ann Young of Columbia, and Vera Mae (Carol) Altman of Hemingway.

Mr. Tyler was predeceased by brothers, Julias Hadrian Tyler, William Hannibal Tyler; and sisters, Victoria Rogers, and Janell Cribb of Hemingway.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 in the Morris Funeral Home Chapel in Hemingway, with burial in the Old Johnsonville Cemetery.

The family received friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.