Obituaries

Retired Georgia Baptist minister Gerald Alexander, 84, died Oct. 19. He began his ministry in 1954 as minister of music at Woodland Hills Baptist Church in east Atlanta, where he served for a decade. He then served First Baptist Church of Stone Mountain from 1964 until his retirement in 1988.

He was a graduate of Asbury College, Southern Seminary, and was a World War II veteran, having served with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Since his retirement he had been an active member of Mountain Park First Baptist Church and, most recently, Salem Baptist Church in McDonough.

Alexander was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, the former Inez Propst of Bollinger County, Mo. He is survived by his brother Howard Alexander; son Tim Alexander; and four grandchildren.

Services were Oct. 24 at First Baptist Church of Stone Mountain.

Randy Hardeman, 89, died Feb. 23 at his Decatur residence following complications from surgery.

He was founding pastor of Glen Haven Baptist Church, which has only had two pastors since it was begun in 1947. Hardeman began the church in Glen Haven Elementary School with about 40 people; today its congregation numbers 1,000.

Hardeman continued his career as a Bible salesman as the church became established, accepting its full-time pastorate in 1952. The church eventually relocated to Henry County in 2002, following its membership, but kept its original name.

He is survived by three daughters, Janay Seymour and Joan Brown of Decatur and Joy Stephens of Stockbridge; a son, Randy A. Hardeman of Stockbridge; a brother, Jerry L. Hardeman of Covington; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Wendell Lovett, minister of music at Eastside Baptist Church in Cairo, died Jan. 31 at Grady General Hospital in Cairo. He was 72.

A native of Miller County, Lovett served in the U.S. Air Force and worked in radio broadcasting until his retirement. For many years he sang gospel music with his family and as a member of The Lovett Brothers.

He is survived by his wife Beverly of Cairo; daughter Jana of Cairo; sons Gene of Clayton, and Jeff of Cairo; brothers John of Ochlocknee and Virgil of Mt. Dora, Fla.; sister Edna Eleazer of Monticello, Fla.; and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother James.

Dewey L. Norton, 77, pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of Milledgeville, died Jan. 13.

Norton was a graduate of Mercer University and Southeastern Seminary. He served on the Sunday School staff of the Georgia Baptist Convention in the 1960s and as a Christian Index board member in the 1970s. In 1968 he served as vice president of the GBC.

He served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Milledgeville from 1971-90, during which he also served as a commissioner for the Georgia Baptist Medical Center from 1987-91. Upon his retirement he served as interim pastor of several churches in Middle Georgia.

Norton served in the Baptist Relations office at Georgia Baptist Medical Center from 1992-95.

Norton is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ann Williams Norton; son Mark Norton of Conyers; daughters Debra Wright of Atlanta and Lisa Miller of Milledgeville; sisters Lois Bearden of Greensboro, N.C. and Dorothy Bright and Doris Willoughby, both of Savannah; and one grandson.