Mrs. Lois Musselwhite, a Cook County resident for over 75 years, died on January 20 at Langdale Hospice House in Valdosta.  She was 109 years old.

Mrs. Musselwhite grew up in Porterdale, GA, a small mill town southeast of Atlanta and was the daughter of John Bly Williams and Nettie Carroll Williams.  After graduating from Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville (now Georgia College & State University), she taught high school English at Omega and Willacoochee, GA.

In Willacoochee, she met Ira Musselwhite, who was also teaching there and they married in 1941. While Ira was away in the Navy, Lois stayed with her parents in Porterdale. It was there that their son, Ronald, was born.

After the war, they moved to Preston, GA, where Ira taught agriculture in the school.  They moved to Adel in 1947 and Mr. Musselwhite became the agriculture teacher at Cook High School.  Mrs. Musselwhite stayed at home with Ronald for several years, then became the school librarian at Cook High.  They both retired from teaching in 1974.  Mr. Musselwhite died in 1986.  She spent her last years living at The Rachel House in Sparks.

Both Musselwhites were very active in the Adel First Baptist Church.  Mrs. Musselwhite taught Sunday School from shortly after moving to Adel well into her 90's, including 50 years teaching a ladies' Bible study class.  In recent years she attended Sparks Baptist Church, near her residence at The Rachel House.

Mrs. Musselwhite loved teaching, and she taught most of her adult life — high school, Sunday school, Bible study groups and more.  She served on the Cook County Library Board and represented the county on the Regional Library Board.  She also volunteered as a Pink Lady at the Adel nursing home for 20 years.

Mrs. Musselwhite is survived by a son, Ronald, of McLean, VA.

The funeral service for Mrs. Musselwhite was held at 2:00 PM on Monday, January 29. 2024 in the Chapel of Boone Funeral Home (located at 1804 S. Hutchinson Ave. in Adel with Rev. Doug Stevens officiating.  Interment followed at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens.  No formal visitation was held. Dr. Mary Sue Ward sang "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" and "In the Garden" and Sheila Humber played piano.  Jeff Taylor, Mike Bradford, Dr. Tom Fausett, Howard McClain, Jaimie Allen and Terry McClain served as pallbearers.  If anyone wishes to make a donation in her memory, please consider donating to Hospice of South Georgia in Valdosta (online at www.hospiceofsouthgeorgia.org or by mail at 2263 Pineview Dr., Valdosta, GA 31602) or to the church of your choice.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.boonefunerals.com .  Boone Funeral Home is serving the Musselwhite family.