James Dustin "Dusty" Vassey, 41, of Irwinville, Georgia, died Friday, September 8, 2017, at Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton.
Funeral services will be held 4 PM, Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Rob Dowdle officiating. Interment will follow in the Irwinville Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Tuesday evening at the funeral home in Fitzgerald.
Dusty was born September 20, 1975, in Tifton, Georgia, to Mandy Harp Vassey and the late Jim Vassey. Dusty was a 1994 graduate of Irwin County High School. He began his journalism career as a teenager covering football games for The Ocilla Star, and he remained a lifelong Indian fan. After high school, Dusty attended Abraham Baldwin College, where he became the editor of The Stallion. After several years in Athens, Georgia, he moved home as a reporter and editor for The Tifton Gazette, eventually returning to The Ocilla Star in 2010, where he continued to cover sports, board meetings, local events, and everything in between.
Dusty was known throughout the community for his honesty, frankness, and humor. He also wrote music; his song “Irwinvillain,” written about Irwinville and other Irwin County communities and landmarks, was a crowd favorite. Recently, Dusty’s fame grew beyond the Irwin area with his coverage of the Tara Grinstead case and his Rational-to-a-Fault blog (https://rationaltoafault-dustyvassey.blogspot.com/). Despite his hermit-like habits and curmudgeonly outlook on life, Dusty was loved and respected by nearly everyone he met—either in person or online.
Dusty is survived by his mother, Mandy Vassey (Rick) Bryant of Irwinville; sister, Dena Vassey (Dean Dibling) of Fayetteville, NC; his beloved niece and nephew, Myda and Kamran Ali; brother, Dylan (Amber) Bryant, and countless extended family, friends, and fans.