Sheilah Kirkland

Sheilah Johnson Kirkland, 58, of Bainbridge, GA, passed away Thursday, February 5, 2015 at her residence. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at Bethany Baptist Church with Rev. C. O. Thompson officiating. Interment will follow at Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery with Ben Bennett, Jamie Bennett, Kennie Bennett, Jeb King, Mark Matillo, and Joey Miller serving as active pallbearers. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at Ivey Funeral Home. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.iveyfuneral.com . Sheilah was born July 26, 1956 in Bainbridge, GA, the daughter of the late Lucius Johnson and Shirley Nell Heard Johnson, and the loving mother of Will Kirkland. A lifelong resident of Bainbridge, she was the owner and operator of Dazzle Jewelry and More and was a bus driver for the Decatur County School System for more than 20 years. Sheilah was a free-spirited, loving, and giving person who enjoyed tending to her plants and flowers. She was passionate about her animals and offered a home to those without. Her love of travel resulted in many wonderful vacations spent with her mother, family, and friends. Her love for people was displayed by her willingness to help others, especially the elderly and people with special needs. She was very involved at Open Arms Ministries. Survivors include her son, William Austin Kirkland of Bainbridge, GA; her siblings, Debra J. Bennett of Bainbridge, GA, Martha Anne King and her husband, Steve, of Bainbridge, and Eve Yarbrough and her husband, Sebe, of Americus, GA; her close cousin, Becky K. Powell; and a host of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Hannah Rae Kirkland. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 323 Pine Avenue, Suite 100, Albany, GA 31701, the American Diabetes Association, 225 Peachtree Street Northeast, Suite 550, Atlanta, GA 30303, the American Heart Association, 1101 Northchase Parkway Southeast, Suite 1, Marietta, GA 30067, or locally to Open Arms Ministries, P.O. Box 1528, Bainbridge, GA 39818.