Mr. Winston L. Pannell

Winston L. Pannell, age 86, died on April 24, 2023 with his family at his side. He spent the previous 2 ½ weeks at his home in Lee County surrounded by family and friends as he struggled through the final stage of Parkinson’s Disease, which he’d had for 19 years. The service will be at 2:00pm on Friday, April 28th at Kimbrell-Stern, followed by interment at Crown Hill Cemetery. Pastor Bill Parker will officiate. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00pm at Kimbrell-Stern prior to the service. Winston Lee Pannell was born on March 12, 1937 to Johnnie Newton Pannell and Beulah Mae Justice Pannell in Sylacauga, AL. He had 6 brothers and 4 sisters and spent his youth in the Red Rock Community of Worth County, just down the road from his future wife, Patricia Barfield. He graduated from Sylvester High School and was voted Most Talented by his classmates for his ability to sing the songs of Hank Williams in perfect pitch. After graduation, he went to work with two of his older brothers at what was then Standard Plumbing & Heating Co. He and brother Gordon later bought the business from brother William, and it became Standard Plumbing Co. He left that business around 1985 to form Custom Builders, and then in 1990, he became Facilities Director for the Dougherty County School System. He retired in 2002. Winston was a poet and a songwriter and was known for his ability to write beautiful poems and songs for his wife, such as Blue Ribbon Girl, as well as heart-felt birthday cards for his children and grandchildren. He loved to play his guitar, and it was discovered a few years ago, that in the 1980s, he wrote and recorded a dozen songs on a tape player in his bedroom closet, which was unknown to everyone but himself until the last few years. In his early married life, he loved to fish Ft. Gaines and the Flint River with his best friend and brother-in-law, Maxwell Davis, who passed away last month. Winston was a master carpenter and built three beautiful homes for his family, as well as custom trim work and built-in heart pine bookcases. He was also a skilled furniture maker and craftsman. He was always willing to lend a hand to his neighbors, family and friends when help was needed. He just knew how to get many things done to a home quickly and efficiently. He was a deacon and teacher at Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, GA since 1985 and before that, at First Baptist Church in Albany. He was a student of the Word and a gifted Bible teacher and could quote whole books and chapters of the Bible. He rarely needed a hymnal, as he knew most of the words by heart. He is preceded in death by his parents, Johnnie and Beulah Pannell, his brothers William Pannell, Charles Ray Pannell, Lavon Pannell and Roger Pannell and a sister, Mildred Christie. He is survived by his wife and sweetheart of 65 years, Patricia B. Pannell, his daughters, Andrea S. Pannell, Leesburg, GA; Jennifer P. VanZandt (Dennis) of Loganville, GA and Amy P. Hiers (Rodney) also of Leesburg, GA; his grandson Michael Winston Lee of Leesburg GA, granddaughter Mariel Moore of Atlanta, GA, and step-granddaughter Amber VanZandt of Grayson, GA; brothers Gordon Pannell of Albany, GA and Mark (Becky) Pannell of Leesburg, sisters Fran Leiter of Doerun, GA, Dorothy Elizabeth (Cookie) Kirksey of Albany, GA and Jo Carroll (Carl) Lewis of Villa Rica, GA, and surviving in-laws Virginia Pannell, Sylvester, GA, Sylvia Pannell, Snellville, GA, Ann Pannell, Tupelo, MS, Dot Pannell, Rocky Mount, NC, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and their many offspring. The family would like to thank special caregivers Sandra Malone, Linda Whitlock, Annette Brazier and Valerie Metcalf for the excellent care they gave our daddy for the past 2 years. We’d also like to thank the staff of Phoebe Hospice, especially Dawn Ellis, Kari Pryor, Veronica Fudge, Kathalean Guy and Whitney Dale, for the compassionate and professional care they showed each time they visited our home, which allowed our daddy to transition peacefully from this life to his Heavenly home.

Mr. Winston L. Pannell

March 12, 1937 - April 24, 2023