PUBLISHER
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Stephanie Williams
CREATIVE | DESIGN
Elizabeth Beasley
Stephanie Williams
ASSISTANT MANAGER
Nikki Anderson
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
AND MEDIA RELATIONS
Ann Owens
SALES
Dottie Hicks
Randall Montague
Daphne Walker
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Renée Martin
Beverly McClellan
Beth O’Neal
Ann Owens
Tonya Parker
Teri R. Williams
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lillian Morse Burton
Logic4Design/Eric Love
Dawn Moses
Ann Owens
Daphne Walker
PROOFING
Beverly McClellan
COVER PHOTO
Staff
Toombs County Magazine© is
published bi-annually by
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436
(912) 526-4195
All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in
whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written
authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure
the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is
subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.
F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R
collect your memories
I walked down the narrow street looking through windows at all the Italian
goods–designer handbags, impressionist art, antiques, jewelry, marble signs.
Wait. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. I returned to the marble
shop and peered a little closer at the window full of signs hand-stamped by a
little old Italian guy wearing red suspenders and a dusty blue beret. The sign that
caught my eye simply said, “Ciao y’all.”
The Italians are wonderful people whom I’ve come to love and appreciate, but
they can be very serious and proper at times. They have a lot on their mind as do
most of us these days. Seeing that sign reminded me of the sweetness of home
where people greet you with smiles, hugs, “hi y’alls” and “hey buddys.” It reminded
me of how comfortable it can be to share your thoughts, hurts or laughter with
your tribe. It reminded me of how quick people start a prayer chain when they
know you need it. It also reminded me of the simple trait of kindness that is
embedded in our Southern roots.
Remembering who we are and where we come from is as important as
figuring out where we are going. The stories we create in our daily lives may seem
random and insignificant at times, but they are our moments marked in eternity.
They are important to us and to the people that follow us. You should never take
your story for granted.
We have a lot of stories in this issue that center around the importance of
memories. Coach Jacky and Betty Jones remember his brother’s sacrifice (p12);
the Chan family remember the hard work it took to start over in America (p32);
Jack Parson uses his memories as a growing experience (p44); Dorsey McMichael
shares the historical memories of her grandparent’s home, Tranquilla (p58);
Lorenzo Riggins remembers his grandmother teaching him to cook (p72); and
Shelly Smith’s memories of her father gave her an understanding of gratitude
(p112).
When my sister was here for a visit, we spent a lot of time “remembering.”
There are always things that are good to forget, but I am beginning to see how
sharing our stories teaches life lessons to those around us.
After purchasing the “Ciao y’all” sign
(of course, I did), I spent the rest of the day
smiling at everyone I passed on the street and
spreading some good old fashioned Toombs
County kindness. These are days I will always
remember, and hopefully one day I will share
these stories with my grandchildren. In the
meantime, I’m collecting memories and
writing them down. Won’t you join me?
keep the stories alive,
Stephanie Williams
Executive Editor
To share a story, send a note, or just get information:
toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063
For more stories, visit us at
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www.toombscountymagazine.com
Toombs County
M A G A Z I N E
To discover more that Toombs County has to offer,
see our business index on page 142!
6 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
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