Gloria Jean Timmons Stover

Gloria Jean Timmons Stover of Columbus, Georgia, died on October 14, 2017. Funeral services will be held at St. Paul United Methodist Church on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 10 a.m. with Reverend John Fugh officiating, according to Striffler-Hamby, Columbus. Burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Ashburn, Georgia.

Gloria was born in Batavia, New York, on April 9, 1933. Her parents were the late Bertye Ellis Timmons and Luther Rice Timmons. She grew up in Florence, South Carolina, and graduated from McClenaghan High School where she was salutatorian of her class in 1951. Gloria attended Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville, Georgia, and graduated from Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina, with an A.B. degree in English in 1955. She married William Carlton Stover on June 12, 1955, and moved to Ashburn, Georgia, where she taught English in the high school there.

In 1969 Gloria moved to Savannah, Georgia. She taught at Savannah Country Day School where she was Lower School Librarian for 32 years. While there she received her Master of Arts in Library Education from the University of Georgia in Athens. Gloria was an avid supporter of preservation, and she worked with Historic Savannah Foundation as a tour guide and as a reference librarian at the Georgia Historical Society. Gloria opened her home in Historic Savannah as a Bed and Breakfast and enjoyed showing Savannah to out of town guests.

In 2001 Gloria moved to Columbus, GA to enjoy retirement with her sisters. She continued to work in preservation with Historic Columbus Foundation as a tour guide and ardent supporter. Gloria was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church where she belonged to the Miller Wilson Sunday School Class.

She is survived by a daughter, Suzanne Elizabeth Tison and a sister, Bettye Timmons Spence, both of Columbus. Gloria was preceded in death by her husband, William Carlton Stover; two sons, James Layton Tison and William Thomas Tison; and a sister, Sara Timmons Kruse.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to PAWS Humane, 4900 Milgen Road, Columbus, GA 31907 or Ukraine Ministries at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Ave, Columbus, GA 31906.