Mystery of depot dog solved by readers

A stray dog that roamed the old East Rome Train Depot is remembered.

Mr. Joseph Paul Wilhelm, age 70, of Rome, passed away Thursday April 5, 2012.

Mr. Wilhelm was born June 5, 1941, in Missouri and grew up in Lafayette. He was a graduate of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and the University of South Carolina Graduate School of Business. During his career in health care finance, Joe was a Senior Vice President at Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Controller at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, and CFO at Murray County Hospital in Chatsworth. Joe was a member of The Church at Northside and faithfully served on the Finance Team for a number of years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Irene Riley Wilhelm.

Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Linda Rexford Wilhelm, his children, Gina Mooney, Chatsworth; Joey Wilhelm, Dalton; grandchildren, Shawn Kendrick, Kimberly Maddron; three greatgrandchildren, brothers, Robert Wilhelm, and his wife, Katie, Lafayette; Jerry Wilhelm, and his wife, Myra, Lafayette; four nieces also survive.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday at The Church at Northside, with Rev. Brad Prater, officiating. The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until the service hour Tuesday at the church.

The family respectfully asks that memorials be made to The Church at Northside Mission Fund.

Please visit our website www.goodshepherdfh.net to sign the online guest book and view the DVD on the life of Mr. Joseph Paul Wilhelm.

Parnick Jennings, Sr.’s Good Shepherd Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Eva Louise Robinson Smith, age 85, of Adairsville, passed away Sunday April 8, 2012, in a Rome medical center.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday April 10, 2012, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3000,, Gardens Lakes Blvd. Rome, Ga. 30165, with Pastor Jack Karch, officiating. Entombment will follow in Oaknoll Mausoleum. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until service hour Tuesday at the church.

A complete obituary will follow in the Tuesday edition of the Rome News.

Parnick Jennings, Sr.’s Good Shepherd Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Margaret Grant Yarbrough age 84, of Rome, Ga., went home to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Sunday, April 8, 2012, in a local hospital.

Mrs. Yarbrough was born in Chester, S.C., on July 25, 1927, the daughter of the late Amos Mason Grant, Sr. and Alice Estelle Roberts Grant. She was a homemaker and a member of Saint Luke United Methodist Church. She worked in the church nursery, member of the choir, helped teach the adult Sunday School Class, Superintendent of Sunday school, lay leader, and a trustee. Also, she was a very dedicated Christian and loved her family. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Yarbrough was preceded in death by her husband, Homer Yarbrough in November 2002 and five brothers and sisters.

Survivors include three daughters and sons-in-law, Mary and Harold Brock, Cathy and Tommy Taff, and Dot and Randyl Morris all of Rome, Ga.; four grandchildren and their spouses, Missy and Keith Smith, Kim and Kerry Barnett, Paige and David Watson, and Courtney and Danny Parker; six great-grandchildren; and four step-greatgrandchildren. Several nieces and nephews also survive, as well as many special friends.

Graveside and interment services will be held Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 1:30 p.m. in the Floyd Memory Gardens with a great nephew, Pastor Scott Smith officiating.

The family will receive friends Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Heritage Chapel of the Miller and Richards Funeral Home.

The following gentlemen will serve as active pallbearers and are requested to meet in the Heritage Chapel by 12:30 p.m.: grandsons-in-law, Kerry Barnett, David Watson, and Danny Parker and nephews, Norman Shaw, James Shaw, and Nelson Smith. The honorary pallbearers will be the members of St. Luke United Methodist Church and Charles and Gwen Carney.

Flowers will be accepted or memorial contributions may be made to the Rome Shrine Club, P.O. Box 1544, Rome, GA 30162.

Please join Mrs. Yarbrough’s family in honoring her life by visiting www. millerandrichardsfuneralhome. com to post tributes and share memories.

The Miller and Richards Funeral Home and Cremation Services Heritage Chapel has charge of the funeral arrangements for the funeral of Mrs. Margaret Grant Yarbrough.

Mrs. Gladys Irene Spradley Mcmillan age 81, of Rome, Ga., died Sunday, April 8, 2012, in a local hospital.

Mrs. Mcmillan was born in Waverly, Ga., on June 23, 1930, the daughter of the late Peter Spradley and Cora Cooper Spradley. She was a homemaker and a longtime member of Lindale Church of God of Prophecy and currently a member of Armuchee Church of God. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Mcmillan was preceded in death by a son, Daniel Bret Mcmillan; son-in-law, Hank James Redden; six brothers, Oscar Spradley, J.D. Spradley, Lee Spradley, Harold Spradley, Joe Spradley, and Edward Spradley; and a brother-inlaw, Howard Haynes.

Survivors include a husband, James Mcmillan of Rome, Ga., to whom she was married on July 31, 1950; a daughter and her fiancé, Joy Redden and Hubert Stanley of Rome, GA; five grandchildren, Angie Mcmillan, Chris Mcmillan, Candace Holder, Melissa Allmon and her husband, Jacob, and Katie Redden; three great-grandchildren, Tristian Humpheries, Bella Mcmillan, and Chloe Mcmillan; and three sisters and brothers-inlaw, Nancy and Will Sheffield of Brunswick, GA, Sarah and Eddie Linton of Waycross, Ga., and Coraine Haynes of Waycross, Ga. Several nieces and nephews also survive.

A Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at 2 p.m. in the Oaknoll Chapel of the Miller and Richards Funeral Home with Rev. Charles Izell and Rev. Bert Brooks officiating. Interment will follow in the Oaknoll Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the Oaknoll Chapel.

In lieu of flowers the family respectfully request that memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 2452 Spring Road SE, Smyrna, Ga., 30080 or to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284-0692.

Please join Mrs. Mcmillan’s family in honoring her life by visiting www. millerandrichardsfuneralhome. com to post tributes and share memories.

The Miller and Richards Funeral Home and Cremation Services Oaknoll Chapel has charge of the arrangements for the funeral of Mrs. Gladys Irene Mcmillan.

Russell Mcclanahan of the Rome Area History Museum and some interested citizens helped fill in the history of Brownie the Depot dog.

The Rome News-tribune recently ran a photo of the tombstone of Brownie, located at the site of the old East Rome Train Depot near Maple Road and Sixth Avenue, asking if readers could provide some information.

Dale Eckroat stopped by the paper to tell us what he knew of the dog. He moved to Rome in 1973 and collects railroad memorabilia.

Mcclanahan said Alice Cormany came into the museum to share stories of the dog that she heard of as a child from her grandparents, who she identified as Ralph and Ora Cormany and Williams and Rose Carver.

Brownie apparently was a stray dog that showed up at the depot one day in the 1920s or 1930s and immediately captured the affection of the people that worked there.

The dog became accustomed to the train schedule and would rapturously meet each train as it arrived. Passengers, especially children, would look forward to seeing the happy mutt, tail wagging and tongue flapping, whenever they arrived. He became a part of the depot.

But time marched on as it does for all of us, and Brownie’s health failed. Brownie died and the stone was erected to mark the dog’s final resting place.

Cormany remembers her grandparents talking about the graveside service for Brownie at that spot, and how the family would later take a picnic lunch and go visit Brownie on holidays.