County loses a treasure

I have  just received a phone call on this Sunday night informing me the sad news  that Neta Peppers has passed away.  Everyone was so in hopes that she was going to pull out of her sickness after she started perking up and  asking for something to drink and eat last week.  I was told the doctor was amazed along with everyone else and everyone had their hopes up.  After a few days she started going downhill again and this time it did not look good.  Morgan County has lost a wonderful woman who had the most amazing memory of anyone I know. She had a wealth of Morgan County history within her.  I could ask her about almost any subject and she could remember something about it;  it never failed.   I didn't know until Sally and I were working on Grandma's book that she and her family grew up in the Fairview community and  all of them were great friends of Grandma's and the family.  Just this last Christmas she came out to Sally and Tony's to join  all of them  at their get-together along with Aunt Harriette and Sandra's family.  She thoroughly enjoyed it!  She knew that house well having been there many times in her growing-up years.  Laurie Lewis and Sandra Brown were good, close friends of Neta's and had spent many enjoyable days together through the years.  Neta had many friends; she was a people person!   Laurie was holding her hand when she passed away, here on this earth in one breath and stepping into heaven with the next.  We extend our deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers  to  her husband, Artis, and her children, Beverly, Bruce, Ray, and Faith and their families who she loved dearly.   She will be truly missed.  She was a real Morgan County treasure.

We are glad that Hazel Jordan is back in the TCU wing of Morgan Memorial after having to spend a few days at Athens Regional.  We are also thankful that Olena Eaton is back home after having been in the hospital in Athens for complications from a cold and pneumonia.  These two women still need many prayers as they have a ways to go towards complete  healing.  We also need to remember David Bruce as he has had a bout with pneumonia while he has been in boot camp with the Marines and has had to rest from training and recuperate.  We want them to know that we are all remembering them in our thoughts and prayers for them to start feeling a lot better again.  We are also glad to report that Vivian Gilbert is doing well at home with excellent caregivers who take wonderful care of her along with her loving family.

We wish Madeline Porter a very Happy Birthday as she celebrated turning 6-years-old this past week.  On Saturday, she along with her  Big Mama, Sally Porter, her daddy, Scott, and her aunts and cousins enjoyed a day in Athens eating lunch at The Varsity and then going to Memorial Park Bear Hollow Wildlife Park in Athens where the children enjoyed seeing all kinds of animals and eating birthday cake.  She had a wonderful birthday celebration!  Happy Birthday, Madeline!

We also want to send out congratulations to Joanie Bruce as she has had her  first novel  published, a murder mystery, entitled, "Alana Candler, Marked for Murder."  She should have copies this coming week and she would be happy to sign one for you!  It is also available on Kindle and on Amazon.com.  This is very exciting news!  We wish her much success! I look forward to reading it.
Janice and Chuck Philippi spent a few days last week in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Chuck's parents, Myron and Dottie Philippi.
Will Porter participated in the Piedmont Area Cattleman's Show this past Saturday here in Madison at the Ag Center.  He and his heifer, Tina, placed third out of 100 heifers and steers.  Congratulations!

Our Raegan Wilkins had an "out of the ballpark" gymnastics meet on Sunday at the Snowflake Meet in Lawrenceville.  She came away again with first place in all events and she was named the Grand Champion as she had the highest score all around of all the hundreds of gymnasts that participated.  We are all so proud of her.  Bless her heart!  We indeed give God the Glory!
Martha, Sandy, Mary Martha, and Matthew of Cleveland, Tenn., came and spent last Sunday with their parents and grandparents, Mary and Frank Eaton.  Mary Martha and  Matthew  are busy as she is on the Renaissance Dance team and Matthew is on the high school swim team.   They both participate in  frequent competitions for their sports.  Matthew's 400 Free relay swim team made the finals at the swim meet on Sunday in Knoxville.   This moves them on up for the state competition.  Congratulations!  One thing about it– all this activity for these young people is keeping them fit!

Katy, Ben and Ellen Bruce along with Esther Curry and Jeanie and Anna Leigh Acord  attended the annual University of Georgia Ballroom Performance Group Show which is called "Ballroom Magic," on Saturday night in Athens.  They all try to go every year.  Esther says this is a fun, glittery show which they all enjoy watching very much.  This year three Russian doctoral students from Georgia Tech who are friends of Katy's, Drs. Denis and Sasha Petrova and Dr. Nina Romanova, joined them.  On Sunday, Ellen and Esther went to the  musical, "Les Miserables."    

Printed in the January 31, 2013 edition