Martha B. Boggus, 94, of Fitzgerald, died Saturday, December 28, 2013, at her residence.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Tuesday, December 31, 2013, at Arbor Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Lloyd Stembridge officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Monday evening at Arbor Baptist Church.
Mrs. Boggus was born December 1, 1919, in Alapaha to the late Charles Reid & Millie Fletcher Barrineau. She was a 1937 graduate of Ocilla High School. Following graduation, Mrs. Boggus lived most of her life in Fitzgerald. For 62 years, she owned and operated Dock’s Credit Jewelry in downtown Fitzgerald, retiring at the age of 88. She opened the store in 1946 along with her husband Dock. Originally a partnership with Dock’s brother, Argin, Martha and Dock later purchased the entire store. Following Dock’s death in 1978, Martha continued running the store, often times by herself. An avid community supporter and civic leader, Mrs. Boggus was a longtime member of the Fitzgerald Kiwanis Club. She was also a member of the Pilot Club, a former Lioness, and served on the DFCS Board for almost 30 years. She was named Mother of the Year in 1979 by the Jr. Women’s Club and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chamber of Commerce in 1992. An active Chamber member, Mrs. Boggus served on the Board of Directors several terms and chaired the Elections Committee for many years. She was also an active member of the Downtown Business Association and supported the development of local merchants.
Mrs. Boggus loved serving people and for many years would volunteer at the Ben Hill County Hospital. She would begin her day at 6 A.M. giving baths to the patients before opening the store. Along with her husband, she helped to begin Little League Baseball in Fitzgerald and ran the concession stand for many years. She would house the youth from Up with People when they performed here and shuttled numerous carloads of children to the skating rink. She was an avid supporter of all things Purple Hurricane and was a member of the Booster Club. She enjoyed watching sporting events and chaperoning Quest trips and Scouting events. She was a member of Arbor Baptist Church and served as a Training Union leader. Mrs. Boggus went above and beyond to sponsor events for teenagers. A woman of strong faith, Mrs. Boggus endured the loss of a husband and all three of her children as well as fighting through and surviving cancer.
She is survived by a daughter-in-law: Joanne Boggus of Fitzgerald; seven grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; three brothers: Edwin Barrineau of Jacksonville, Florida, Raymond Barrineau of Augusta, and Emory Barrineau of Tallahassee, Florida; one sister: Margaret Scott of Augusta; as well as 15 nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband: T.D. “Dock” Boggus; three children: Bobby Boggus, Judy Dunning, and Butch Boggus; three brothers: Cecil Barrineau, Billy Barrineau, and Pete Barrineau; and three sisters: Elizabeth Singletary, Hazel Yancey, and Jewell Aspinwall.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Humane Society, 106 Lions Park Road, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to Blue-Gray Community Hospice, P.O. Box 1447, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to the Arbor Baptist Church Building Fund, 1137 N. Merrimac Drive Extension, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to the Ben Hill County Relay for Life, American Cancer Society, c/o Marci Cleghorn, 599 Ten Mile Road, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.