Mrs. Florine Watson Harper

Mrs. Florine Watson Harper, age 100, of Thomaston, GA, died Sunday, October 1, 2017, at Riverside Health and Rehab. Funeral services for Mrs. Harper will be held Friday, October 6, 2017, at 2:00 PM, at the First United Methodist Church of Thomaston. Rev. Eddie Herring will officiate, and burial will follow in Glenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, October 6, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, in the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church. Mrs. Harper was born May 6, 1917, in Thomaston, GA, to the late George Thomas Watson and Ida Evelyn Little Watson . She was a 1934 graduate of R. E. Lee Institute. She attended Bob Jones College, Georgia State College for Women, and West Georgia College, receiving a Normal there. She was a first grade teacher in the Thomaston School System. Following her marriage to Buford O. Harper in 1941, she worked in the Town Office of Thomaston Mills during the WW II years. After the war, the Harpers moved to Barnesville, GA, and then to Nashville, TN, for 43 years. While in Tennessee, Mrs. Harper received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education from Peabody College and Vanderbilt University. She studied at the University of Tennessee Nashville, Middle Tennessee State University, Cumberland University and Volunteer State University for her 6-year certification. She retired as a Speech Therapist from Tennessee School for the Blind in 1983. The Harpers returned to live in Thomaston in late 1994. Mrs. Harper joined the Methodist Church in Zebulon, GA, as a teenager. Over the years as a member of seven different Methodist churches, she served as lay delegate to annual conference, on Administrative Boards and PR committees, and as a member of the choir. Mrs. Harper was a member of teachers’ associations in Tennessee and Georgia where she held offices; a member of AARP in Nashville and Thomaston (editor of newsletter, board member, secretary); a continuous member of the American Legion Auxiliary since joining in 1945 in Thomaston; Upson Historical Society; Thomaston-Upson Arts Council; Golden Agers; and Thurston Homemakers Club, and had served as a Girl Scout leader. She loved to travel and was on every continent except Antarctica. Mrs. Harper is survived by a daughter, Angela Norida Harper of Glen Allen, VA; a son, George Christopher “Chris” (Elizabeth) Harper, of Pelham, AL; two granddaughters: Allison Leigh (Ritchie) Howell of Kitty Hawk, NC, and Lauren Michelle Harper of Pelham, AL; a grandson, Nicholas Austin Harper of Pelham, AL; a nephew, Forrest Albert Watson, Jr., of Zebulon, GA; a great niece, Annaliese Watson and a great nephew, Forrest Albert Watson, III, both of Zebulon, GA. She was predeceased by her loving husband of nearly 60 years, Buford O. Harper and a great granddaughter, Haylie Nicole Kastens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Thomaston, PO Box 707, Thomaston, GA 30286. The family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation to the doctors, nurses, and staff of Upson Regional Medical Center and the nurses and staff of Riverside Health and Rehab and Thomaston Hospice for their loving care of our mother. Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home of Thomaston is in charge of all arrangements.