Ms. Debra Lynn “Debbie” Newberry Amason, 50, passed away June 27. Ms. Amason was a native of Elgin, Ill., but had made her home in Milledgeville for many years.
She was a 1980 graduate of Newton High School, a 1982 graduate of Truett-McConnell and graduated from Georgia College in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
She worked for the Wilkinson County Board of Education from 1985-1990 and had worked with the Baldwin County Board of Education since 1990.
Ms. Amason taught kindergarten in Baldwin County for more than two decades, first at West End Elementary and then at Creekside Elementary, which replaced West End and Northside when the two schools merged in 1999.
Ms. Amason touched the lives of hundreds of kindergarten children throughout her teaching career.
She loved her students, and they loved her. Many students would return to her classroom each year to receive smiles and hugs from her. Ms. Amason not only touched the lives of students at West End and Creekside, but also the lives of parents, staff members and the community at large.
She worked tirelessly as Creekside’s Relay for Life school coordinator for many years, as well as working on many school and county committees.
Ms. Amason’s love for and dedication to her students and the teaching profession earned her two Baldwin County Teacher of the Year titles.
Ms. Amason was a teacher at heart, and her heart was filled with love for her students. She will be greatly missed by the students, staff members and her friends at Creekside.
She was preceded in death by her father Herbert Newberry and was a member of Hardwick Baptist Church.Survivors include sons Clint Amason and Ethan Amason, both of Milledgeville; her mother Alice Newberry of Milledgeville; brothers Michael Newberry and James Newberry and a special friend, Tony Wells of Milledgeville.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. today, June 30, at Hardwick Baptist Church with the Rev. Bill Kitchen officiating. Burial will follow at Baldwin Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her honor to Creekside Elementary School, Playground and Grounds Beautification, 372 Blandy Road NW, Milledgeville, GA 31061.
