Whirlwind Tour of Cemeteries in Irwin and Coffee Counties Georgia

A couple days before the memorial for my husband's aunt, Ann (Paul) Donaldson, we had the privilege of spending the afternoon with his cousin, Mary Clyde. Mary Clyde and her hubby are seen with us in the picture above at the Cafe in Ocilla, Georgia, where Mary Clyde works part time. After getting off work a little early, Mary Clyde escorted us around Coffee and Irwin Counties in Georgia.








First, we visited the Lax Cemetery, where Mary Clyde's paternal grandparents, Claudie Alfonso "C.L." Paul and Annie Bell (Smith) Paul are buried. C.L. was the grandfather of both my husband and Mary Clyde. C.L. worked as a blacksmith.

Next we went to the grave site of Tom's grandmother, Leattie (Taylor) Paul at the Arnie Baptist Church Cemetery. "Mama Paul" became the wife of Claudie Alfonso "C.L." Paul after his first wife Annie died. Mama Paul was an outstanding cook and caregiver, and she traveled all over to visit her children and grandchildren. Before she even knew that I was going to become a part of the Paul family, she made me a quilt! Her green beans, fried chicken and sweet tea were fabulous! She had so much love in her heart, and she was generous with her hugs!

The youngest daughter of C.L. and Leattie Paul was Catherine Lee Paul (Kitty) Holland. Aunt Kitty was such a gracious lady. She used to have a cabin in Cumberland Gap, which was between her home in Georgia, and her relatives up North, so she opened up her place in Cumberland Gap for many a gathering. She loved showing us the Cumberland Mountains and took us to a lovely little restaurant that had live music on Friday nights. Aunt Kitty and her husband Colonel Thomas J. Holland, Jr. are both buried in a small cemetery in Ambrose, Georgia, not far from where Kitty and Tommy grew up.

Mary Clyde's parents, Clyde R. Paul and his beloved wife, Mary (Luke) Paul, are both buried at the Satilla Baptist Church Cemetery in Irwin County, Georgia. We have such special memories of Uncle Clyde and Aunt Mary. We stayed with them during several trips to Georgia. They used to have family reunions at their home, which featured the finest southern food ever! Uncle Clyde was a barber for fifty years, and his hobbies were wood carving and giving nicknames to almost everyone he ever met! Of course, Aunt Mary was the wonderful "woman behind the man." Uncle Clyde and Aunt Mary welcomed me into the family with open arms, even though I was from the North. We miss them so very much.

Thanks so much, Mary Clyde, for taking us to all these cemeteries, and for all the fond memories and family stories! The song "Georgia on My Mind" sung by Ray Charles, has become our favorite song, and Georgia is on our mind right now.You can see many more pictures of tombstones of our extended family on FindaGrave, to which Mary Clyde is a generous contributor.