Ottis Harper, 78, of Ocilla, Georgia, died Thursday, September 23, 2021, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held 3 PM, Sunday, September 26, 2021, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Ocilla, with the Rev. John Gibbs, Jr. officiating. Interment will follow in Brushy Creek Cemetery, Irwin County. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services at the funeral home on Sunday.
Mr. Harper was born March 4, 1943, in Ocilla, Georgia, to the late John Aubrey and Lora Youghn Harper. He was a 1962 graduate of Irwin County High School. Mr. Harper was a farmer and a carpenter. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to farm, garden, fish, and hunt. He enjoyed playing golf in his younger years. He loved to watch westerns and NASCAR and cheer on the Atlanta Braves. He was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Irwin County.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Shealey Harper of Ocilla; children and their spouses: Angela & Billy Paulk of Ocilla, Tony & Crystal Harper of Nashville, and Pam & Andy Paulk of Ocilla; a daughter-in-law, Psyche Pope of Abbeville; a son-in-law, Randy Johnston of Ashburn; grandchildren: Dene’ Harper, Alana & D.J. Ammons, Brylee Patrick, Casey Patrick, Larra Johnston, Dalton Patrick, Ethan Patrick, Kaylee Eubanks, Aubrey Harper, and Ivy Harper; great-grandchildren: Kymani, Bentley, Carson, Ryleigh, Easton, Ryder, and one on the way; and two brothers: LaRue Harper of Ocilla and Ronald & Terri Harper of Ambrose. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Nichole Harper.