Laverne Holton Kinard

Mrs. Laverne Holton Kinard, age 71, of Macon, died Friday, October 10, 2008. Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 13th at 2:00pm at the Sandersville United Methodist Church with burial in the Brownwood Cemetery in Sandersville. Rev. Jimmy Duke and Rev. Cile Mitchell will officiate. Pallbearers will be her nephews Wendell Tompkins Jr., Bill Holton, Bob Holton, Johnny McGahee, Danny Nunnery, Cebron Nunnery, Joe Milford, Bob Milford, Bob Grant, Ken Grant, George Burch and Glenn McGahee.

Mrs. Kinard was born in Davisboro Georgia in 1937 the daughter of the late Grady Holton and the late Mattie Usry Holton. She graduated from Sandersville High School and was active in the Sandersville United Methodist Church youth choir. Laverne was the recipient of a scholarship from the Sandersville Music Club and the Ruby Rottwieler Foundation to attend Wesleyan College. She graduated from Wesleyan in 1959 earning a Bachelor of Music degree majoring in voice. While in College, she was a member of the Wesleyanne’s and made a solo appearance with the Harvard Glee Club. During her senior year she was awarded the Marion Lucy Cheney Award for excellence in music. After graduation, Laverne made solo appearances at the Beth Israel Temple and was interim choir director at the First Presbyterian Church in Macon. She also sang in the Vineville United Methodist Church Choir.

Mrs. Kinard moved to Atlanta and was a Mezzo Soprano with the Robert Shaw Chorale and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall. She also sang in the choirs at Peachtree Road and Grace United Methodist Churches in Atlanta. Laverne retired from the Dekalb County Department of Family and Children services after 32 years of service. She moved back to Macon in 2000 and joined the Mulberry Street United Methodist Church Choir and was a member of the Macon Morning Music Club.

Survivors are her son Steven B. Kinard III (Tara) of Atlanta, her daughter Kimberly Seekins Johnson (Rick) of Macon, grandchildren, Callaway “Cal” Kinard of Atlanta, Sam and Kendall Seekins of Macon and her sister Polly Holton Tompkins (Wendell) of Sandersville.

The family has requested donations to the Sandersville United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 611, Sandersville, Georgia 31082 or Mulberry Street United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 149, Macon, Georgia 31202.

The family will receive friends Sunday from 4 to 6pm at the May and Smith Funeral Home in Sandersville.
May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements. www.mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com