Gehl Barton

Gehl Barton

Evans, Ga - Mrs. Gehl Lucille Pilgrim Barton, 91, a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and wife of the late George T. Barton, Sr. entered into eternal rest on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Mrs. Barton was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, but lived in the Augusta area for 67 years. She was one of 9 children born to the late Don Albert and Pearl May Pilgrim. She graduated from Ladysmith High School in 1944 at age 16 and immediately moved to Chicago, IL, for employment and where she lived in a boarding house for women. After WW2, she met and married George, a U.S. Navy veteran. Love and strength are two words that are used to describe her. She was strong and independent, working most of her life and making her own decisions in a time when that wasn’t something that women in society were doing.

Mrs. Barton lived on C&S Drive, Augusta, for 55 years and the Wymberly Senior Retirement Community in Martinez for 9 years. She was so proud of her new home in Wymberly and loved her friends, neighbors and the sense of community there.

She was an active member of the Marks Baptist Church where she also worked for 39 years as the church secretary. She served for 10 years as the Associational Clerk for the Augusta Association of Baptist Churches 1989-1999. In addition to George, Mrs. Barton was preceded in death by a son, George T. Barton, Jr., a daughter Linda Susan Barton Bodnar, and a grandson, Christopher Barton.

Surviving family members include a son & daughter-in-law, Russell “Rusty” & June Barton of Rockingham, VA, a son-in-law, Tommy Bodnar of Martinez, GA and a daughter in love, Nancy Barton of Gainesville, Ga ; five grandchildren, Cora Linkhart (Ryan) of Willamina, OR, Ashley Storey (Joey) of Evans, GA, Sandra Williams (Brad) of Oxford, GA, Amber Hill (Zac) of Lakewood, CO, Rachel Barton of Rockingham, VA and fifteen great-grandchildren. She is also survived by two brothers, Cecil Pilgrim (99) of Cambridge, MN and Dean Pilgrim (89) of Hillsdale, MI.

Family will receive friends from 6PM-8PM Saturday March 23 at Thomas Poteet & Son. Funeral services will be held Sunday March 24, 2019 at 2PM in the chapel of Thomas Poteet & Son with the Rev. Hal Hodgens, officiating. Burial will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to Marks Baptist Church, 1405 Marks Church Rd. Augusta, Ga. 30909.
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com