Beulah G. Fountain

Sept. 5, 1929 –

July 7, 2011

Funeral services for Mrs. Beulah Gadson Fountain, 81, of Augusta, Ga., formerly of Bainbridge, will be held Saturday, July 16, at 11 a.m. at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in the Cyrene community with the Rev. Cleveland Sanders officiating.

Interment will follow at Jonas Lobe Cemetery with friends of the family serving as active pallbearers. The deacons of Mount Zion M.B. Church and Pine Hill M.B. Church will be honorary pallbearers.

Born Sept. 5, 1929, Mrs. Fountain died on July 7, 2011, in Augusta, Ga.

Mrs. Fountain was the daughter of the late Tom and Mary Gadson; she was the youngest of 11 children. She accepted Christ at a young age and joined Springfield Missionary Baptist Church. When the family moved to Decatur County, she joined Pine Hill Missionary Baptist Church. She was a dedicated member and served in numerous capacities, as an usher, Sunday School teacher, a missionary and a deaconess; however, her true and unwavering passion was working with the youth department and young adults, teaching them how to have a strong and personal relationship with God. She invited them into her home and into her heart. When her health begin to decline, she united with Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church to continue her service and worship with her husband, the late Matthew Middleton Fountain, where she maintained her membership until her passing.

Mrs. Fountain attended school in Decatur County. Upon graduating from high school, she attended and graduated from Albany State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education. She also attended and completed her master’s at Valdosta State University, where she also received her Specialist Certificate. She worked for 32 years as a teacher, touching the lives of countless children, first in Baker County, then Decatur County, from where she retired. During her 32 years tenure, it was reported that she was always soft spoken, had never sent a student to the principal’s office, and spent numerous hours tutoring students at the end of the day when school was over. After retiring from the school system, she worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency helping farmers in Decatur County secure federal grants that helped save their farms.

During her teaching career, she was an active member of the following professional organizations: DCAE, GAE and NEA and the Bainbridge Decatur County Retired Educators Association. She was also an active member of the following organizations: Oak City Chapter U253 Order of Eastern Star (O.E.S); the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Bainbridge Chapter, Albany State University Alumnae Association, Bainbridge Decatur County Civic and Progressive League and the American Legion Post 502.

Mrs. Fountain was married to the late Matthew Middleton Fountain on Feb. 27, 1957. To this union two children were born. One child, Gary Anthony Fountain, preceded her in death. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother who supported her family and her community and she loved to spend time with her family.

Sister Fountain is survived by a daughter, Linda and her husband, the Rev. Christopher Johnson of Augusta, Ga.; three grandchildren, Christopher Johnson II, David Johnson and Alicia Fountain; and one devoted sister, Lucy.

Bruton Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.