Brenda Poppell

Brenda D. Poppell passed away Friday, June 24, 2022, in Bainbridge, Georgia. A celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 2, at Attapulgus Baptist Church with Rev. Conrad Salter officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service, and interment will follow in Attapulgus Church Cemetery. Mike Baty, Bruce Bennett, Billy Brown, and Keith Medley will serve as pallbearers, and the ladies of the Attapulgus Baptist Church W.M.U. will serve as honorary pallbearers. Brenda Duane Poppell, 79, was born October 19, 1942, in Bainbridge, Georgia, to Leonard Clyde Poppell and Mary Lou Hawkins Poppell. While attending school in Attapulgus, she was a member of the Future Homemakers of America and the National Beta Club. She was an honor graduate and a member of the Attapulgus High School class of 1960. Brenda attended Valdosta Business School and Tallahassee Community College; she graduated from Bainbridge College with an Associate Degree in Secretarial Science. Early in her career, she worked at several banks, including Quincy State Bank. Also, she worked at the University of Georgia Extension Service, the Decatur County Health Department, and Cox Funeral Home. As a member of Attapulgus Baptist Church, she faithfully attended W.M.U. and Son Shiners. Brenda greatly enjoyed attending family gatherings and being a member of the A. H. S. Class reunion committee. She loved to call and check on her family and friends. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. Survivors include her children, Thomas Bruce (Tommy) Whitley, III of Bainbridge and Robin Whitley of Attapulgus; siblings, Clyde Elliott (Bubba) Poppell and wife Patsy, of Thomasville, Georgia and Beverly Poppell Pollock and husband Jerry, of Bainbridge; grandchildren, Gage Whitley, Zachary Whitley, and Luke Whitley; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and her sweet, furry companion, Baby. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clyde and Mary Lou Poppell ; sister, Mary Carolyn Gunderman; brother-in-love, Bill Gunderman, Sr.; and ex-husband Thomas Bruce Whitley, Jr.