Sally Long Rowland, 108, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Tuesday, December 11, 2018, at the Irwin County Hospital in Ocilla, Georgia.
Funeral services will be held 2 PM, Friday, December 14, 2018, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Dr. Richard Wright and the Rev. B.J. Funk officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Mrs. Rowland was born October 18, 1910, in Ludowici, Georgia, to the late Enoch & Clifford Swindle Long. Her father succumbed to cancer when Sally was just two months old. Following the death of her mother when Sally was 14, she moved to Hinesville to live with a paternal aunt. She graduated from Braswell Institute High School in Hinesville. Just as the Great Depression began, Sally moved to Waycross and worked at The Fashion Shop. She became an accomplished seamstress and would later make most of the clothing her daughter Nancy would wear. While in Waycross, she joined Trinity United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Rowland married Cecil Arnold Rowland in March of 1932 and the couple moved to Fitzgerald. She worked as a proof clerk at The National Bank of Fitzgerald. Their marriage would span almost 60 years before his death in 1991. After Mr. Rowland’s death, she needed something to occupy her time so she turned to the arts. She painted in oils and acrylics and also enjoyed painting ceramics. Over the course of her life, she would paint well over 100 ceramic Santa Claus statuettes. Each one is a treasured heirloom and will be cherished for generations to come. In her later years, she worked in the business office of Dorminy Medical Center as a manager. She joined Central United Methodist Church when she moved to Fitzgerald and has been an active member for the past 86 years. She served as MYF Counselor for over 10 years, was active in the UMW, and was a member of the Golden Believers Sunday school class. Mrs. Rowland lent her sewing skills to the Banner Ministry of Central and was responsible for the “Homecoming” banner featuring a needlepoint depiction of Central’s sanctuary. Mrs. Rowland was a longtime member and past president of the Fitzgerald Pilot Club and was active in the PTA. She traveled to many countries and most of the states. She was also a homemaker and was very devoted to her family. She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren dearly.
She is survived by her daughter, Nancy & Harold Kimball of Fitzgerald; grandchildren, Lesley & Alvin Parent of Valdosta, and Mark & Dottie Kimball of Murphy, North Carolina; and great-grandchildren, Matthew Heller of Nashville, Tennessee, Ansley Heller of Charlottesville, Virginia, and John Kimball of Jackson, Mississippi.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to Central United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 428, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.