Maudie Louise Johnson Truesdell

Louise Truesdell passed on Thursday, November 21 in Oxley Park under the care of Community Hospice after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.  She was 91 years old.

She was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation in Vidalia, and was steadfast in her faith.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years Hollis W. Truesdell, her son Doye A. Truesdell, and her parents, Arthur and Maudie Mae Johnson.  Survivors include her daughters, Twalla T. Haley and Hollera T. Nielsen, both of Uvalda, Georgia, three granddaughters, Tonia Boswell, Uvalda, Tamara (Tom) Sawicki, Canton, North Carolina, and Tonya Jean (Matt) Caufield, Woodstock, Georgia, one sister Doris (Ken) Tharp, Uvalda, five great grandchildren to whom she is known as “Granny Lou”, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Louise was born on her family’s farm in Uvalda and attended Montgomery and Toombs County schools.  After graduation she relocated to Savannah and was employed by Southern Bell Telephone Company before and during World War II.  One of her fondest memories was of the day the war ended when she and fellow telephone operators put through all long distance calls for free from all of the enlisted servicemen overseas who were calling back home that day.

Louise accompanied husband Hollis through his 22-year military career in the United States Air Force, Mighty Eighth, living in Savannah, Georgia, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Toyko, Japan, and Orlando, Florida.  She worked in Orlando as a private-based exchange telephone operator for Orlando Armature Works for 15 years and in the same capacity for SunTrust Bank for 10 years, moving back to the family farm in Uvalda in 1998 after retirement.

She was also a certified floral designer for many years and was on the Altar Guild at Faith Lutheran Church in Orlando creating the floral arrangements for the altar every Sunday.

She was a generous, devoted Mother who loved to read, garden, and travel, and instilled in her children a wonderful love of life.  Her children request donations be made to the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation or Community Hospice of Vidalia.

Funeral services for Louise Truesdell will be held Monday, November 25, 2013 at 11:00 AM from Ronnie L. Stewart Funeral Service Chapel of Vidalia with the Reverend James Clendinen officiating.  Interment will follow in Gibbs Cemetery near Uvalda.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday from 10:00 AM until the hour of the service.

Ronnie L. Stewart Funeral Service of Vidalia is in charge of funeral arrangements.