Connie Thomas Pinkston

Connie Thomas Pinkston, 92, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother (“Nana”), passed away on March 7, 2025, at her home in Macon, Georgia. Visitation will be held Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Snow's Memorial Chapel, Bass Road. Graveside services will be 1:00 PM, Thursday, March 13, 2025, at Crown Hill Cemetery, 1907 Dawson Road, Albany, Georgia 31707.

Connie was born in Thomasville to the late Erin Ione Wilder and Luther Jackson Thomas, Sr., and later moved to Columbus and then Albany. Connie graduated from Albany High School in 1950 and then began working at the C&S Bank downtown. In May of 1952, she married David Elliott Pinkston, who had lived next door years earlier and with whom she became reacquainted one summer at Radium Springs. By the time they married, Elliott was in the Air Force. Right after their wedding, Connie and Elliott (who was called “Pinky” by her whole family, but not by her) moved from base to base as he was learning to fly jets. In the fall of 1952, Elliott used his travel allowance to buy two train tickets instead of one plane ticket, so they could both travel to California and spend a few more weeks together before he was shipped overseas to Korea. On the return train-trip home alone from California, Connie had morning sickness and realized she was expecting their first child. Connie lived in Albany while Elliott was in Korea, giving birth to son David, Jr. at Turner Air Force Base with her mother by her side. Fortunately, Elliott’s commanding officer allowed him to complete his allotment of required flight missions as quickly as he could, so that he could return home to his new family sooner than the Air Force had planned.

After the military years were completed, Connie and Elliott (who now used his first name of David, thanks to the Air Force) moved to Atlanta for him to complete his education at Georgia Tech. While still in Atlanta, their second child, Thom, was born. After moving to Milwaukee and quickly discovering it wasn’t the place for them, they ended up in Macon, where their third child, Loretta, was born and where they would live the remainder of their lives.

Connie was a homemaker and also did some bookkeeping work over the years. She enjoyed painting and became very good at the craft of decoupage. She decoupaged pocketbooks as well as graduation and wedding invitations, a creative alternative to framing. She never thought of herself as an accomplished artist, but her work was beautiful and she enjoyed it very much. For a short while she operated a small business known as Connie’s Arts & Crafts, where she sold not only her own creations but also the work of other artists and crafters on consignment. She would have a booth at arts and craft fairs around Georgia for several years, much to the enjoyment of her daughter who would often tag along. She made many good friends in the local arts and craft world and enjoyed every moment.

Connie and her husband undertook many do-it-yourself projects around their own home and their children’s homes. Whatever the operation at hand, Connie was usually the brains behind it. After re-tiling her own bathroom, she later was told by a tile-layer working on a bathroom addition that hers was “the best tile job I’ve ever seen.” Connie and Elliott re-roofed their own house one spring, and declared it to be “the best roof we ever had.” They were right. Connie also loved working in her yard and her children’s yards, planting and pruning and giving clippings to others.

Her favorite way to spend time, however, was with her grandchildren. She loved them dearly and was happiest when they were at her house for a visit. She later marveled at having great-grandchildren, and was overjoyed each time she saw them. To her surprise and delight, they were excited to see her too! They all seemed to know how much Nana loved them.

Connie also enjoyed volunteering with a Conversational English program through her church, in which she and her husband each were paired with a college student or faculty family member for whom English was a second language, to help them learn and practice its more conversational aspects. She volunteered for many years at what then was the Medical Center of Central Georgia’s Children’s Hospital, where one of her most treasured assignments was to hold babies whose parents were at work or otherwise unable to be with them all the time, so they would feel safe and loved. She also enjoyed her time in BSF, a multi-year women’s bible-study commitment that she loved and where she made many good friends. Later, she enjoyed taking WALL classes at Wesleyan College (Wesleyan Academy for Lifelong Learning). She anticipated the offerings each time the list came out and took as many courses each semester as she possibly could. They enriched her life greatly.

Connie was the calmest person ever when taking care of a sick or injured child or, later, her husband as his heart condition worsened and his end-of-life was approaching. No doubt she had endless days and nights of worry over the years, but what the “patient” felt was nothing but comfort, nurturing, and unwavering faith that all would be well. And it usually was. Connie showed us what it looked like to be a loving care-giver, and we used lesson after lesson learned from watching her to help us provide what she needed when she needed it.

In addition to her beloved husband, Connie was predeceased by her brother L. Jack Thomas, Jr. (known to their family as “Bud”), and her sister Gwen McCook. She is survived by her son David Elliott Pinkston, Jr. and wife Carol of Hendersonville, TN; son Thom Pinkston of Macon; daughter Loretta Pinkston-Pope and wife Helen of Atlanta; sister Joye Hadarits of Juliette; sister Debbie McLean and husband Gene of Exeter, NH; granddaughter Kelly Pinkston Coldiron and husband Matthew of Fayetteville; granddaughter Cassidy Denton and husband Drew of Portland, TN; granddaughter Cory Hardwick and husband Lawson of Brentwood, TN; granddaughter Christen Pinkston and husband Forrest Gray of Nashville, TN; granddaughter Caroline “Cameron” Taylor of Atlanta; great-grandchildren Jackson Coldiron, Parker Coldiron, Hank Hardwick, Anna Hardwick, and Levi Denton; daughter-in-law Linda Shurley and son-in-law once removed Carl Shurley of Macon; and a loving extended family that includes nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family wishes to express its appreciation to the many warm and loving care-givers at Georgia Hospice Care, who gently cared for Connie at her home over the recent weeks.

Snow's Memorial Chapel at Bass Road has charge of arrangements. Register condolences at www.snowsmacon.com.