Lawana Louise Pafford

Lawana “Lukey” Howard Pafford, 98. went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. She was born June 22, 1923, to Purdom Howard and Myrtie Mae Harris Howard in the Pierce County community of Otter Creek near Blackshear, Georgia.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, James “Jimmy” Marcus Pafford, Sr and son Craig Rowan Pafford. She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Priest (Johnny) of Brunswick, GA, Laurell Middleton of Wichita, KS, son James Marcus Pafford Jr. (Mary) of Mayflower, AR, 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, one sister-in-law, Virginia Howard Harris of Patterson, GA and many nieces and nephews.

She survived childhood Tuberculous at the age of 10 by spending nine months in Alto, Georgia in a TB sanitarium. This experience as a young child, separated from her family for the very first time probably contributed to Lawana’s strong sense of independence.

During WW2, Lawana supported the homefront, as a welder for the J.A. Jones shipyard in Brunswick, GA, building Liberty Ships. She also did welding on the Liberty Ship model that was on display on the grounds of the Golden Isles Welcome Center at the entrance of the F J Toras Causway for so many years.

She was a loving wife, mother and homemaker who loved the Lord and her family. In 1950, she left Georgia with her husband, Jimmy and their daughter to follow the burgeoning shrimping industry on the South Texas Gulf coast. Her three youngest children were born and raised in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. She loved hunting, fishing, and even frog gigging with her family there. She will be fondly remembered for her kind, loving spirit and her many talents of sewing, upholstering, knitting, china painting, her cooking and above all, her love of the Lord.

Her loving heart and kindness will live on in her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends that she leaves behind. She will be sorely missed.

The family is planning on a private celebration of her life at a later date. She will be interred next to the love of her life, Jimmy, at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Brownsville, Texas.