John Sloope
This notice of his passing will be followed in later days by a full obituary.
John B. Sloope, 98, of Forsyth, GA (previously Jasper, GA) passed away at his home September 14, 2026.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 70 years, Phyllis, on June 2, 2023; and is survived by sons, John B. Sloope, Jr., Jasper and Tom H. Sloope (Angela) Forsyth; granddaughters, Kathryn E. Danyo (Chris), Brookhaven and Alexandra T. Hinckley (Nick), Woodstock; and great grandchildren, Reagan and Everett Danyo, Brookhaven and Logan Hinckley, Woodstock. and nephews and a niece.
A celebration of the life of John B. Sloope will be held on October 7, 2026 at the First Baptist Church of Jasper, 198 East Church Street, Jasper, GA with Reverend Preston Jones of the First Baptist Church of Jasper and Reverend Brian Moore of New Providence Baptist Church in Forsyth officiating. A visitation will be held beginning about 12:00 noon before the service at 2 p.m. in Walker Hall of the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the First Baptist Church of Jasper and/or New Providence Church.
Interment and a brief service with military honors will be at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, on Friday October the 16th at 11 a.m.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral Home and Crematory.
Don Baughman
Don Baughman of Jasper, Georgia, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the age of 80.
He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and deep love for his family. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Don touched the lives of many and will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his caring wife, Susann Baughman; his three sons, Allen, Doug, and Matthew Baughman; his daughters-in-law, Jenny, Alyssa, and Ashley Baughman; his grandchildren, Mackenzie, Eilish, Jackson, Wilson, Carter, and Christian Baughman; his sisters, Carol Coons and Palma Tucker; and many dear friends.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 2, at 3 p.m. at Mountain View Community Church, 470 Bent Tree Drive, Jasper, Georgia. Pre-service gathering will be held at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Mountain View Community Church.
Don’s deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ was central to his life and a source of strength, hope, and comfort to him and those around him. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
Arrangements are entrusted to the staff of Roper Funeral Home and Crematory.
Nathaniel Townsend
Mr. Nathaniel Kirk Townsend, 46, of Fairmount, Georgia, departed this life Sunday morning, September 27, 2026, at AdventHealth Redmond in Rome, Georgia.
Kirk was born December 30, 1979, in Dalton, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his father, Randall Mart Townsend; his grandparents, Clarence Otis “Ode” and Wyolene Holder Townsend, Norma C. Vaughn, and Sue Kirk; and his cousin and very special friend, Jonathan Woodward.
Kirk was a 1997 graduate of Gordon Central High School, where he graduated with honors. He later earned his Liberal Arts degree from Reinhardt College. Kirk was a smart, thoughtful, and exceptionally talented man who had a natural ability to see things differently and understand people in a way that was special.
For many years, Kirk was the co-owner of Kirk’s Auto Parts in Fairmount, Georgia.
Kirk had a rare gift for accepting people exactly as they were. He never felt the need to judge others or make them feel as though they had to be someone they were not. He welcomed people with an open heart and treated everyone with kindness and understanding. He loved people, and people loved Kirk. His acceptance, compassion, and genuine care for others left an impression on everyone fortunate enough to know him.
Kirk had a wonderful mind, but it was his heart that truly set him apart. He was intelligent, caring, funny, and deeply loved. He had a way of making people feel comfortable simply by being himself. Kirk understood that everyone has their own story, their own struggles, and their own imperfections, and he chose to love people rather than judge them.
Above all else, Kirk was a beloved son, and the bond he shared with his mother, Joy, was incredibly special. As her only child, Kirk held a unique and irreplaceable place in his mother’s heart. Their love for one another was deep and lifelong, and the loss of her only son leaves an emptiness that words cannot express.
Kirk was also deeply loved by his family and was especially close to his cousin, Jonathan Woodward. Their relationship was one of love, friendship, and family, and Jonathan’s memory remained very special to Kirk.
Those left to cherish Kirk’s memory include his mother, Joy Kirk; his brother, Bailey Townsend and Hayley Bramlett, all of Fairmount, Georgia; his twin sisters, Sophie Townsend and Layla Townsend, both college students in Tifton, Georgia; his grandfather, Charles M. Kirk; aunts, Patsy and Eddie Bryant and Arlene Kittle; special family friend, Jenny Godwin; along with a host of other family members and friends who loved Kirk dearly
Services to celebrate the life of Mr. Nathaniel Kirk Townsend will be held Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Ponders Fairmount Chapel with Blake Canady officiating. He will be laid to rest with his family at Salacoa Baptist Church Cemetery in Waleska, Georgia. Eric Moss, Blake Canady, Austin Kittle, Brandon Williams, Allen Evans, and Kenny Beverly will serve as pallbearers.
The family will receive friends at Ponders Fairmount Chapel from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday and after 12 p.m. noon Thursday until the service hour at 3 p.m.
Maxine Bryant
Charlotte Maxine Pettit Bryant, 86, passed away peacefully in her sleep in Jasper, Georgia, on August 10, 2026.
Maxine was born at her family’s home in Canton, Georgia, on January 31, 1940, during a major ice storm, which prevented her mother from traveling to the hospital to give birth. Her parents, Hubert and Martha Pettit, and her older brother, Ray, lovingly welcomed Maxine into the family. Canton was a small Georgia town in 1940, and the Pettit family was well known and loved, with deep roots and a large extended family in the community. Maxine spent her childhood playing with her many cousins, and developing her lifelong love of nature, reading and learning. As a child, Maxine was a pretty and smart little girl, who got straight A’s at school–while also being bit of a tomboy, who loved playing outdoors and competing with her boy cousins.
The Pettit family eventually moved from Canton to Atlanta, when Hubert Pettit began what would be his lifelong aviation-related career at Lockheed. In Atlanta, Maxine attended and graduated from Northside High School, where she was an Honor Roll student and a member of the Gymnastics Team.
Maxine’s future was destined and determined the day that she met handsome Georgia Tech student Gene Bryant (Paul Eugene Bryant, Jr.) on a “blind date”. The date was arranged by two of their mutual friends, and it was love at first sight–with Maxine seeing Gene walking up to her house, then famously telling her grandmother, “that’s the boy that I’m going to marry”–before even being introduced to Gene…a story that she loved to tell people.
Maxine and Gene were inseparable from that moment forward. They married in 1958, and embarked on a 67-year marriage and partnership, filled with family, love, laughter, travel, and shared dreams. Their daughter, Elizabeth (Beth), was born in 1958, and their son, Charles Bradford (Brad), was born in 1961, completing their family.
Over these 67 years, Maxine and Gene created many loving and welcoming homes, starting with their first small home in the Atlanta suburb of Smyrna. With each subsequent move required for Gene’s increasingly successful career, they made a family home: next came Memphis (TN), then Minneapolis (MN), followed by Weston (CT), Decatur (IL), Lisle (IL), and then, for their retirement chapter, homes at both Grenelefe Golf Resort (Haines City, FL), and, near family, at Big Canoe (GA), in their beloved North Georgia mountains.
Maxine and Gene also traveled the world together, visiting numerous foreign countries and having many great adventures–including road trips to all of the continental United States and the Canadian Provinces, several trips to Europe, and notable trips to Alaska, China, Japan, and Peru.
While living in Minneapolis, Maxine began to research her family history. Her extensive geneology research led her to discover that she had many generations of U.S. ancestors who proceeded her, so she began to assemble all of their historical records for her future use. When the Bryant family moved to Connecticut, and Beth and Brad became older teenagers, Maxine started a part-time job at The Danbury Mint, followed by a full-time job at Trendex. She then became the Associate Publisher of a small women’s magazine, “Women’s Interest”.
During the 10 years that the family lived in beautiful and historical Weston, Connecticut, Maxine developed a love for antiques and bargain hunting. In addition, as an active member of the Weston Women’s Club, she enjoyed the Club’s many excursions to close-by New York City, to visit museums, and attend numerous (35+) Broadway plays over the years–which she truly loved. She also took up several new hobbies during this time–teaching herself how to re-finish furniture, and also how to make quilts and homemade breads.
When Gene’s career took them to Chicago, Maxine went back to college to work on the Art History Degree that she had started years prior, as a part-time student at Memphis State. She quickly earned her Associate’s Degree with Honors from College of DuPage. Her next job at Oil Dri Corporation in Chicago led to a years-long tenure. She enjoyed working in downtown Chicago, where she and Gene took advantage of the city’s many great restaurants and museums.
A lifelong student, Maxine’s curiosity and love of learning were evident in her extensive and prolific love of reading, as well as her broad knowledge regarding many and varied subjects. She was also a lifelong animal lover (who made several cats and dogs beloved family members over the years), an avid plant lover with a remarkable green thumb, and a skilled seamstress, who spent countless hours sewing quilts.
When Gene retired from The Chicago Board of Trade, and they moved to Florida, Maxine revisited all of the geneology research that she had started assembling many years prior, in order to fill in the historical gaps. Her numerous hours of dedicated and documented research finally paid off in 2013, when Maxine was inducted into DAR (Daughters of the American Revoltion). Her DAR membership, and her family history, were a source of great pride to her. She also helped Gene to gather and document genealogical research about his own family’s history, allowing him to become a member of SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) in 2015.
Maxine’s natural southern charm and hospitable spirit left an indelible impression on everyone she met. A wonderful friend and neighbor, Maxine was a gracious hostess, as well as a great cook, who welcomed her family and many friends into her home over the years–always creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, wherever she went. Her volunteer work and memberships in organizations like the Garden Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), reflected her commitment to her communities.
A devoted stay-at-home mother to Beth and Brad in their early years, later in life, Maxine’s nurturing spirit also extended to her grandchildren (who loved their Nana), and more recently, to her great grandchildren. Her family was the heart of her world, and she cherished every moment spent with them.
Maxine was predeceased by her loving and devoted husband, Gene, who passed before her in November 2025. She is survived by her loving children, Beth Bryant Morris (Ken) and Brad Bryant (Joanne), her grandchildren, Alex Morris (Katie), Lindsey Johnson (Dan), and Carlee Bryant, and her great-grandchildren, Knox and Finley Morris, who will carry on her legacy of love, as well as her quest for knowledge, and her love of travel and adventure. She is also survived by her older brother, Dr. Ray H. Pettit, who is retired, and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Maxine Bryant’s life was a testament to the power of love, family, and community. Her special and unique spirit will live on in the hearts of all who knew her, and her memory will be cherished forever.
A private Celebration of Life will be held to honor Maxine, in accordance with her family’s wishes.
Andy Anderson
Mr. Andy William “Pop” Anderson, Sr., 80, of Waleska, Georgia, passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
Mr. Anderson was born on April 30, 1946, in Cusseta, Alabama, to the late Harold William Anderson and Daisy L. (Walls) Anderson. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved his family, especially his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends. He loved to play golf, listen to music, attend concerts (especially Rod Stewart), and he loved the greatest college football team ever, Alabama Football. Roll Tide!
Andy was a graduate of Marietta Technical College and worked in the Commercial Interior Industry. He was a dedicated member of the Baptist faith and attended First Baptist Church of Canton.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister Andylene Sperin; and brothers, Johnny Anderson and Harold Anderson.
Mr. Anderson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mrs. June (Young)Anderson of Waleska, Georgia; daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Brandon Hathaway of Peachtree Corners, Georgia; son and daughter-in-law Andy, Jr. and Robin Anderson of Fairburn, Georgia; sister and brother-in-law Darlene and Rob Hidenrick of Jacksonville, Florida; brothers and sisters-in-law Charles and Carmen Anderson of Smyrna, Georgia, Amos and Susan Anderson of Mableton, Georgia, and Farris Anderson of Smyrna, Georgia; grandchildren and spouses Ellen and Wade Voyles, Drew Anderson, and Alex and Jack Storey; and great-grandchildren Lee and Luke Voyles. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, 2026 from the Logan Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Billy Godwin officiating. Special music will be provided by Chandler Bentley and Sophie Burnette. Interment will follow in the Mount Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery with the following gentlemen serving as pallbearers: Chad Land, Drew Anderson, Wade Voyles, Brandon Hathaway, Jack Storey, Mike Shotwell, and Brent Shotwell.
The family will receive friends from noon until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, 2026 at Logan Funeral Home.
Flowers are being accepted or memorial contributions may be made to the Mount Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 110 Clear Creek Road, Ellijay, Georgia 30540, in memory of Mr. Anderson.
The staff of Logan Funeral Home and Chapel is honored to serve the Anderson family.
