continued from page mother, who stood beside me in that Texas garden shop and admired those hippie-style hanging pots right along with me. Now, Mom (Wanda Jarriel Collins), if you’re reading this—and I know you are—yes, you know what’s coming for Mother’s Day. But don’t you worry. I’ll make sure there’s another surprise tucked in the box, too. And if you, dear reader, ...

Mr. Ed Smith Mr. Frank Edwin “Ed” Smith, age 95, of Vidalia, Georgia, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2026, at Community Hospice House following an extended illness. Coach Smith was born on February 25, 1931, in Bulloch County, Georgia, to the late Virgie and Emory Smith. He was one of four children and is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Shirley Rowse Smith; his ...

Mrs. Patricia Usher Mrs. Patricia McLemore Usher, age 90, of the New Branch Community, died on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the Community Hospice House in Vidalia after a brief illness. Mrs. Usher was a native of Toombs County, growing up in Vidalia, and was a 1954 graduate of Vidalia High School. She married her husband, and they moved to New Branch in 1955. She was a homemaker and a me...