Obituary: Mrs. Lynn Strickland
May 01, 2023
On the morning of April 26, 2023, the spirit of Lynn Strickland was released from her failing body for its journey to the Eternal Home which was prepared for her by the Christ she loved all her life. She was the first daughter of Arthur and Myrle Sparks of Portal, Georgia, was a 1965 graduate of Portal High School, and a 1969 graduate of Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky.
She married Bill Strickland in 1970, and they moved across South Georgia as a clergy couple serving Christ and the United Methodist Church. Early on, she worked with the Department of Family and Children’s Services working with foster care and adoptions. Later she served as the first Director of Social Services for the Salvation Army in Vidalia, Georgia. Her greatest work was rearing two daughters who bear the markings of her values and spiritual heritage. Throughout the years, she was always an avid gardener who loved growing her own plants from seed. One of her great joys was to return to Portal and live on a small family farm on the edge of town where she faithfully tended the land with pride and respect.
She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Bill Strickland; two daughters, Jennifer Strickland of Albany, Georgia, and Leslie (Brent) Thomas of Alamo, Georgia; five grandchildren; two sisters, Nan Finch and Ann (Jimmy) Lanier, both of Portal; along with several nieces and nephews.
Upon returning to Portal with her husband in 2010, she came back to Portal United Methodist Church where her family have worshipped for three generations. It is the church which nurtured her faith in Christ, baptized her, and set her feet on the path that leads toward her eternal home.
The funeral service will be held Saturday, April 29th at 11:00am at Portal United Methodist Church with a visitation an hour before services. Interment will follow at Portal City Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Wayne Laircey, Mark Lanier, Josh Strickland, Jay Williams, Brian Hogan, and Bill Brown. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Memorial Fund of the Portal United Methodist Church, PO Box 401, Portal, GA 30450.
