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Oscar H. Dewberry from Bainbridge, Ga. died January 19, 2021. Oscar was born July 11, 1928 in Haralson County, Ga. He graduated from Buncombe High School in 1945 and served as a Ranger in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Oscar graduated from Jacksonville State University (Alabama) in 1957 with a degree in biology. He was employed as a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, later the Department of Natural Resources, until his retirement in 1989. At his retirement, Oscar was the supervisor of Game Management in the Wildlife Resources Division of the Southwest Georgia Region. Oscar was a member of Bainbridge First United Methodist Church, where he served in positions of leadership for many years. He had served on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Bainbridge, as well as Bainbridge-Decatur County Habitat for Humanity. He also was actively involved in The Environmental Resources Network (TERN), a nonprofit organization for the support of wildlife education, habitat management, and nongame research across Georgia.

Oscar was preceded in death by his parents Otis and Effie Brown Dewberry; three brothers, William Hammond (Hank), James Hoyt, and John Hulan; and his first wife Ruth Jacqueline Adams Dewberry. Survivors include his wife Bobbie Culberson Dewberry and three daughters, Janet (Jack) Carlson of Comer, Ga.; Deborah (Julian) Stewart of Panama City, Fla.; and Jennifer (Chris) Wydler of Jacksonville, Fla. Oscar is also survived by six grandchildren, Ruth (Matthew) Brown of Luthersville, Ga.; Sgt. Jake (Maureen) Carlson, U.S. Army, of Anchorage, AK; Alexander (Danielle) Stewart of Charleston, S.C.; Jacqueline Stewart of Denver, Colo.; Rachel Fluriach of Tallahassee, Fla.; and Mark Wydler of Jacksonville, Fla.; along with five great grandchildren, Levi, Lily Kate, and Davis Durham of Luthersville, Ga., and Alexis and Jacob Carlson of Anchorage, AK.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 2:00 pm at Bainbridge First United Methodist Church. COVID protocols will be followed with social distancing and masks. Friends wishing to share condolences or a memory with the family are invited to leave a note in a basket near the doors of the church. Memorial services will be held later in Tallapoosa, Ga., and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, which Oscar considered his second home.

The family requests in lieu of flowers donations be made to Bainbridge First United Methodist Church via the church’s website or mailed to P.O. Box 541 Bainbridge, Ga. 39818; Tunnel to Towers Foundation (a nonprofit organization that builds homes for injured veterans and first responders) via PayPal or mailed to 2361 Hylan Boulevard Staten Island, N.Y. 10306; or TERN 116 Rum Creek Drive Forsyth, Ga. 31029.