Ophelia R. Burkhardt's Obituary
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Our beautiful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Ophelia Reid Burkhardt, passed away on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, at her home in Odessa, FL, surrounded by her family.
Born in 1944 to the late Ames and Bessie Reid of Ashburn, Ga, Ophelia was the youngest of 5 children. The daughter of a farmer on a working farm, she instilled in her family a long love of green things and animals. She tried, sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully, to teach us how to have green thumbs. But always had an extra cutting or advice to provide.
She left the farm to be a Southern Bell telephone operator (something she loved very much) and met and married James Powell Burkhardt in 1966. During their 57-year marriage, she raised three children. She never met anyone she wasn’t an instant friend with, and her effortless ability to help others was shown in her Parapro work with special needs children at Waycross/Ware County school system. Once retired, she enjoyed online games and made online friends, playing Farmville (co-opting everyone’s Facebook accounts) and Words with Friends. She also enjoyed travels to far-flung places such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Known as “Granny” to many people beyond her family, she was a role model, top fan, advocate, and friend. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family, and she would never go to bed before the last person left/went to bed.
Ophelia is survived by her husband, James Burkhardt of Odessa, FL; her daughter, Sharon Burkhardt Lyerly of Odessa, FL; and her sons, Bill Burkhardt and his wife, Jessica of Waycross, GA, and Jim Burkhardt and his wife, Melanie of Waycross, GA. Her grandchildren, Jimmy Burkhardt and his wife, Melanie, of Land o Lakes, FL; Kenny Burkhardt of New Port Richey, FL; Mimi Chancey and her husband, Tyler of Fairfield, Ca; Michael Burkhardt of Dalton, Ga; Chandler Burkhardt of Waycross, Ga; and Jaylyn Mincey of Waycross, Ga; and her great-grandchildren, Joshua and Sadie Chancey of Fairfield, Ca.
She is also survived by one brother, Johnny Reid, and his wife, Kathy, and predeceased by her siblings, Aundeen Almand and her husband, James; Maxine McGraw and her husband, Jack; Verrell Presley and her husband, Coot; and Don Reid, and his wife, Bee. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends may gather to celebrate her life on Friday, April 21, at Trinity Memorial Gardens, 12609 Memorial Drive, Trinity, FL. Visitation begins at 11 am, with services beginning at noon. If you cannot attend in person, you can join virtually using the link below, available from 11 am – 1:30 pm ET.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ophelia’s name to CancerCare.Org (https://www.cancercare.org/donate-now). Please check the small check box under the donation amount that says, “I’d like to make this contribution in honor of someone,” and add her name. You can also send a check to CancerCare, 275 Seventh Avenue, Floor 22, New York, NY 10001 (Attn: Rachel Ciborowski)
For directions or to offer condolences, please visit https://www.trinitymemorial.com/obituaries/
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