Dr. Margaret Hanes Hiers

Dr. Margaret Hanes Hiers, age 100, passed away on Thursday, January 18, 2018, at Fellowship Home in Valdosta. Born the youngest of six daughters on November 3, 1917, in Jonesboro to Martha and Orville Hanes, Margaret moved at an early age to Atlanta where she attended Atlanta Girls High and graduated valedictorian of her class. In 1938, while working in Atlanta’s welfare agency, Margaret married Emory Hiers, with whom she had four children, Mitchell, Emily, John, and Alfred. During WWII, she and her family lived in Brunswick and Pensacola, FL where Emory did legal work at naval installations. After the war, Emory opened a law practice in Moultrie, where he practiced for fifty years. Margaret attended Valdosta State College, graduating with a degree in education. Afterward, she taught elementary school for several years in the city system of Moultrie. After her children graduated from high school and began their university studies, Margaret herself attended the University of Georgia, receiving an Ed.D in 1968. She then began her legendary career of special education on the faculty of VSC. During this time, she was instrumental in establishing special education programs in many school systems in South Georgia. Retiring as Department Head of Special Ed. at VSC, Margaret continued her work in special education in South America, helping to establish programs for Project Hope in Peru, Brazil, and Barbados. Combining her desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with her passion for educating underserved and underprivileged children, Margaret continued her educational ministry in Peru as a missionary for the Southern Baptist Convention and later in Valdosta through the international ministry The Mailbox Club. She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church in Moultrie and of Crossroads Baptist Church (formerly Lee Street Baptist) in Valdosta.

Margaret is preceded in death by her husband Emory Hiers; a daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Robin Thomas of Tuscaloosa, AL; another daughter-in-law, Kay Barbin Hiers (Alfred) of Valdosta and a grandson Kyle Hiers of Moultrie. She is survived by her sons Mitchell (Linda) Hiers, Moultrie; John (Phyllis) Hiers of Valdosta and Alfred Hiers of Valdosta. In addition, she is survived by thirteen grandchildren, twenty-seven great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 27, 2018, in the chapel of Carson McLane Funeral Home in Valdosta. Dr. Ken Alford and Rev. Dennis Rogers will officiate. Burial will follow at Pinecrest Memory Gardens in Moultrie. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday, January 26 from 5 until 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Crossroads Baptist Church, The Mailbox Club, or the Hospice Promise Foundation. The family especially wishes to thank the staff of Fellowship Home and Halcyon Hospice for their loving care. Condolences may be conveyed to the family on the obituary page of www.mclanecares. Carson McLane Funeral Home