Katie Lou Wilson

On July 30, 1931, God blessed Mr. Coy Garland and Mrs. Mary Garland (Ponder) of Thomasville, Georgia with our beloved mother, Katie Lou Wilson (Garland). She married Troy Wilson, and she raised eight children by the work of her hands and the sweat of her brow. Mama was quick-witted, smart, loving and extremely funny. No one or nothing came before her family, neither job, people, nor any situation. She took care of our home and taught us that "we were not better that anyone and no one was better than us." Mama was a God-fearing woman of faith, wisdom, confidence, strength, and courage. She walked-the-walk and instilled those attributes in us. She reared us to love the Lord, to respect our elders, and to not pass judgement on anyone.  She taught us that unless we walked in someone else's shoes, we'd better not pass judgement. She'd say, "life has many challenges and today could be the best day of that person's life.  Nobody knows what it took for that person to overcome and be where they are today."  Mama was kind enough to let us pick our own switches if we got out-of-line.  If we didn't get a "good" one, she'd get one for us.  You never wanted that to happen. Mama nurtured all children who slept under her roof and there were many. Some of them she knew and some of them she didn't know. She loved them, fed them, and watched over them as though they were her own. She was just amazing…she would often work late at Georgia Crate and Basket Company only to come home to find so many children sleeping on her floor and in our beds.  She would just step over them to get to her bed.  The next morning, mama would require each child to contact his or her parent(s) to let them know where they were and to ask if it was okay for them to stay. Mama never turned anyone away.  Although she had eight children of her own, she would cook food for us to take to other families. Somehow mama's pots would just hold more and more. God always multiplied what was in her pot and blessed the work of her hands.  It's kind of like when Jesus fed the multitude with two fish and five loaves of bread. Mama was a friend and confidant to those who needed a listening ear and caring heart. When times were not easy; God was always faithful. He rewarded mama's faith in Him time and time again. During her lifetime, she saw four generations of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren, traveled, and lived her best life.  We just can't tell all the wonderful things Mrs. Katie Lou Wilson has done on these few pages.  She has left an indelible mark that cannot be erased on all who knew her.  Now, she is peacefully resting from her work as a truly virtuous woman as she now sees her Lord face-to-face. We can truly say her latter days were far greater than her former days – just as her Lord had promised.

Loved ones who preceded mama in transitioning from mortality to immortality are her husband, Mr. Troy Wilson; daughter, Freda Wilson; son, Troy Lorenzo Wilson; father and mother, Coy (Mary) Garland; sister, Susie (Arthur) Henderson; brothers, Everett Garland, Lawrence (Geech) Garland, Coy Richard Garland, Levy Garland; grandsons, Daniel Owens and Jaylin M. Green; sons in law, Charles Smith and Brian Jerome Barnes.

Mrs. Katie Wilson leaves to cherish her life and legacy, her daughter, Rosetta Wilson, Crawfordville, FL; son, Everett Wilson (Edna), Thomasville, GA; daughter, Gloria Smith, Thomasville, GA; daughter, Pelinda Jones (Albert), Miccosukee, FL; daughter, Arline Hampton, Thomasville, GA; daughter, Mary Ellen Barnes, Thomasville, GA; brother, Eugene Garland; son-in-law, William Monroe, Thomasville, GA; brother-in-law, Cecil Wilson, Thomasville, GA; niece, Laverne Elzy (Edwin), Columbus, GA; nephew, Arthur Henderson (Vicki), Columbus, GA; niece, Bernadine Becnel (Lawrence), Baton Rouge, Louisiana; nephew, Everett Jr. (Beverly) Garland, Miami, FL; nephew, Coy Garland, niece, Mary Garland, Miami, FL; and a host of grandchildren, great-grands, great-great grands, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.