^eltommg iloine ^erbtteiS 
MRS. BERNICE GRAVES MACON 
DECEMBER 8, 1914 - JANUARY 18, 2005 
Saturday, January 22, 2005 
12:00 P.M. 
St. John Missionary Baptist Church 
Claxton, Georgia 
Rev. L. Perry McNeal - Presiding 
Rev. Stanford Anderson I - Pastor 
Interment: 
Historic Mt. Pleasant Church Cemetery 
Obituary 
The early light of dawn on Tuesday, January 18, 
 2005, streamed into Memorial Health Hospital and 
gently passed Bernice Graves Macon into the loving 
arms of our Lord and Savior for a well-earned eternal 
rest. 
Bernice was born on December 8, 1914 in Haw- 
kinsville, Georgia to the late John Greenleaf Graves I 
and Rosalie Cole Graves. She acquired her early edu- 
cation in the public schools of Savannah and attended 
Georgia State College where she met her future hus- 
band, Raleigh Macon of Claxton, Georgia. They were 
joined in holy matrimony on October 4,1933; one 
daughter, Marcia, was born of this union. 
She received a Bachelor of Science in Education 
from Georgia State College (now Savannah State Uni- 
versity) and a Master of Science in Education and Su- 
pervisory Administration from Atlanta University. She 
was a lifetime member of the Savannah State University 
National Alumni Association and along with her husband 
Raleigh, has received Century Associates Certification 
for contributions to the Alumni Scholarship Fund. 
Her distinguished career in education began as 
an elementary school teacher in southwestern Georgia 
in 1937 after two years of college. She returned to col- 
lege and received her B.S. in 1942. She became the 
principal of and a teacher in Evans County Training 
School (later Evans County High School) in 1944; she 
returned to the classroom solely as a teacher of English, 
Civics, and Georgia History in 1946. She was Jeannes 
Supervisor for Evans, Bryan, and Effingham counties 
during the fifties and early sixties. Until her retirement in 
1976, she was an English teacher in the Evans County 
Public School System. She was a lifetime supporter of 
the Evans County High National Alumni Association and 
received many awards from the organization, such as 
the Distinguished Role Model Award (1992). She con- 
tinued her activities in education after her retirement. 
She was a member and past president of the Georgia 
Association of Retired Educators and was involved in 
the Tutorial and Curricular Programs in Evans County. 
Bernice was a stalwart member and deaconess 
of the St. John Missionary Baptist Church, which she 
lovingly joined when she came to Claxton after her mar- 
riage. She was a faithful worker and supporter in the 
activities of the church such as vacation bible school, 
building fund programs, etc. 
She was active in many civic organizations and 
received many civic service awards. She served on the 
boards of the Evans Memorial Hospital Authority, and 
the Evans County Housing Authority for many years. 
She was a founding member of the Unity Study Group 
of Claxton. She loved flowers and was the founder of 
the Rosebud Garden Club; she was also a longtime 
member and past president of the Georgia Association 
of Garden Clubs. She was a member of lota Phi 
Lambda Sorority and a past president of Nu Chapter in 
Savannah. She received numerous awards from the or- 
ganization, including Outstanding Soror of the 
Year (1977) and the Lola M. Parker Award - Southern 
Region (1993). 
She leaves to cherish her loving memories: a 
daughter. Dr. Marcia M. Moody of Columbia, Maryland; 
a granddaughter, Ms. Deryl Y. Lee, Reston, Virginia; two 
nieces, Mrs. Mildred J. Rock, Claxton, Georgia and Mrs. 
Rose Botts, Frederick, Maryland; three nephews, Mr. 
Robert Henley II, Louisville, Georgia, Mr. John G. 
Graves, III, Atlanta, Georgia, and Mr. Benjamin J. 
Graves, Atlanta, Georgia; many cousins, great-nieces 
and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and a 
host of other relatives and friends as well as her four be- 
loved cats. 
 
Order of Services 
Processional..........................Uncloudy Day 
Invocation.....................Rev. Clarence Williams 
Hymn 230...........................Lead Me, Savior 
Scripture 
Old Testament...............Rev. Martin Bacon 
New Testament....Evangelist Mary Alice Williams 
Solo.....................His Eye Is On The Sparrow 
Ms. Yvonne Hodges 
Tributes (Two Minutes, Please) 
Unity of Claxton.................Dr. L.H. Morgan 
Rosebud Garden Club.......Mrs. Louise Wilkerson 
lota Phi Lambda Sorority......Dr. Priscilla Thomas 
Georgia Retired Educators.....Mrs. Zimma Jones 
St. John Baptist Church...Mrs. Dorothy Anderson 
Obituary (Read Silently).... Softly Now the Light of Day 
Eulogy..........................Rev. Stanford Anderson 
Benediction.....................Rev. L. Perry McNeal 
Recessional...........................O Happy Day 
Interment 
 
I am with thee always 
Are the words He spoke to me 
When I went to Him in prayer 
Upon a bended knee. 
He banished all my troubles 
With His abiding love, 
And I received His blessings 
From Heaven up above. 
So never fear your problems 
Are more than you can bear, 
For God is always with you. 
Dolores Karides 
ACTIVE PALLBEARERS 
Mr. John G. Graves III Mr. Eugene Wilkerson 
Mr. Benjamin J. Graves Mr. Charles Oglesby 
Mr. Ronald Bailey Mr. Greg Stewart 
Mr. Harold Jones 
HONORARY PALLBEARERS 
Deacon and Trustee Boards of 
St. John Missionary Baptist Church 
FLOWER ATTENDANTS 
Friends of the Family 
MUSIC 
Mr. Alton West, 
Metter, Georgia 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
We gratefully acknowledge with sincere and deep 
appreciation all acts of kindness shown to us during the 
illness and death of our beloved one. 
THE FAMILY 
Professional Services Entrusted To: 
Harpers Funeral Home 
Claxton, Georgia 
912-739-2658 
Juanita B. Hodges 
Owner 
Yvonne Hodges 
Manager 
Percy Hodges Ylonne Hodges Jerry Gibson Alvin Hall 
Mortician Mortician Mortician Mortician