Column: Oakwood man recalls 57 years of funeral rites Johnny Vardeman
Charles Townsend of Oakwood completed a 57-year career as a funeral director, serving most of that time with Ward’s Funeral Home on South Main Street in Gainesville.
He followed in the footsteps of his father, Sid Townsend, who was associated with Ward’s for years.
That many years in any business, one can accumulate a lot of memories and stories.
The one that stands out for Charles Townsend is the familiar “Lady of the Lake,” as was called the mystery of two Hall County women who went missing in 1958 after a night of dancing in Forsyth County. When they didn’t return to their homes, there was speculation the women had run away to Florida, met with foul play, or, as it turned out, their car had plunged into Lake Lanier.