Laura Mason McMillian passed into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on December 26, 2023, at her home of many years.
Laura was born on September 16th, 1945 in Tift County, Georgia on a farm near Brookfield community to Alton and Melissa Clayton Mason. She grew up attending Brookfield Baptist Church, where she held her first church membership.
A 1963 graduate of Tift County High School, she moved to Atlanta with her lifelong friend Lena Welsh to pursue an education as a dental assistant. During this time in Atlanta she met her beloved Tony with whom her brother Joe wanted to set her up on a blind date. Joe had told Tony that at a certain time, his sister would be sitting with her friend Lena at the soda fountain of Kirkpatrick’s Drug Store. Tony approached the counter, where according to his version of the story, the girls were flirting with the soda jerk. He asked Lena if she was Joe Mason’s sister and she replied, “no, but she is”. The rest is history.
Tony and Laura married in 1964 and moved to Tallahassee where they lived for many years before moving to Tifton in 1997. After working briefly as a dental assistant in the 1960s, Laura became a homemaker raising their daughter, Toni, before returning to the workforce. She was employed with the state of Florida by various agencies and in a variety of positions, over a span of twenty years. Once they moved to Tifton, Laura became employed as the Director of Human Resources at Affinity Health Care for several years before she retired.
In her retirement, she very much enjoyed her beautiful historic district yard filled with scores of camellias, as well as other classic southern flowers, plants and trees. She also loved visiting her daughter, son-in-law, and their boys on Saint Simons Island, and hosting them in her Tifton home.
She was “Granna” to her grandsons and to others who enjoyed being spoiled by her. Laura was an amazing cook and had a treasure trove of family recipes passed down by her mother, aunts and community ladies. In the latest years, her dear sister-in-law, Linda, helped her perfect her classic 12 layer cake with chocolate icing. In fact, one of the last acts of love that she did for her grandsons was to make this cake for them for Christmas.
Laura could not turn away a stray cat. Many found their way to her door, and sometimes beyond the door to inside the house. Nevertheless, she kept an impeccable home, very clean and inviting. She had a plethora of household tricks for fixing just about any mishap that arose. Family and friends would regularly ask her for solutions for hard to fix housekeeping problems.
The Lord blessed Laura with an excellent memory and she was often called upon at family gatherings to relate stories, or clarify details from decades long gone. She had a collection of childhood stories, some of which included the antics and adventures of Laura and her older brothers. Her story telling abilities will be greatly missed.
Laura was lavish in her expressions of love and acts of service bestowed upon others. In her later decades, she became a tireless prayer warrior, and would eagerly accept requests for family members and friends. She typically prayed throughout the day for these. She finished her church experience as she began it, attending Brookfield Baptist Church where she enjoyed worshipping. Her Sunday School class was particularly special to her.
Laura is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Toni and Keith Middleton; her grandsons, Liam Middleton and Eli Middleton; her sister-in-law, Linda Mason of Brookfield; sister-in-law, Barbara (Richard) Jenkins of Winder; several nieces and nephews, additional loved ones through her son-in-law, Keith, and many dear friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Tony McMillian, who passed away in 2020; parents, Alton and Melissa Mason; her father-in-law, Joe McMillan and mother-in-law, Lizzie McMillian; her older brothers, Sammy Mason and Joe Mason; a brother-in-law and sisters-in-law through Tony.
Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in the Chapel of Bowen Donaldson. The Rev. Jim Wilkerson will be officiating. Donations in Laura’s memory may be made to Brookfield Baptist Church building fund or the CASA Sammy Mason Scholarship Fund. Pallbearers will be Ray Cross, Chris Goodrich, Daniel Goodrich, Mark Middleton, Jim Thomas, Steve Mason and Rusty Woodall. Honorary Pallbearers will be Leigh Ann Bingham, Koulla Butler, Honorable Melanie Barbee-Cross, Angel Ford, Lena Welsh-Ingram, Charles Welsh and Matthew Goodrich.