Wendell Pope, 81, of Ocilla, Georgia, died Saturday, October 22, 2022, at Legacy Village in Tifton, Georgia.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Irwin County, Georgia, with the Rev. John Gibbs, Jr. officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Monday evening at the funeral home in Ocilla.
Mr. Pope was born September 24, 1941, in Turner County, Georgia, to the late Abner & Odessa Kendrick Pope. He was a graduate of Irwin County High School. Mr. Pope was an entrepreneur and worked in farming, heavy equipment operation, well drilling and construction. Together with his wife, they owned and operated Shiloh Personal Care Home in Ocilla for 20 years. He was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who never met a stranger and loved to do for others. He enjoyed woodworking and had a fondness for John Deere tractors. Mr. Pope was a member of Ocilla Baptist Church.
He is survived by his children: Tim & Betsy Pope of Ocilla, Terry & Nan Pope of Ocilla and Tamara Pope of Augusta; grandchildren: Ashli & Zachary Ross, Jewelle Pope, Nikki Pope, Teddi Pope, Wyatt Pope, Josiah Pope, Mara Ledwith, Justin Pope and Dane Ledwith; two great-grandchildren: Rhett Ross & Ridley Ross and a brother, Donald A. Pope, Sr. of Ocilla. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn Faye Pate Pope and a sister-in-law, Linda Kaye Paulk Pope.
The family wishes to gratefully acknowledge the care and compassion shown Mr. Pope by the staff of Legacy Village and the nursing team of Regency Southern Care Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to a local humane society or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2402 North Tift Avenue, Suite 102, Tifton GA 31794.