Here is Toombs county local reports on the service yesterday.
http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=14959338
http://www.thecoastalsource.com/mos...lkes-laid-to-rest/1R0A8dzYA029ajoroC5PZQ.cspx
A Toombs County girl murdered in Florida last week was laid to rest Wednesday.
http://www.wtoc.com/Global/story.asp?S=14959338
Teammates of Courtney Wilkes wore their Toombs County High soccer uniforms to her funeral to remember the girl who gave her all to everything she did. Others called her a community leader in so many ways.
"Courtney was number one in her class, a great student. Very well rounded, she attended church, she played sports," said Chari Smith, a TCHS parent.
Folks covered Vidalia and Lyons in white ribbons to remember the 15-year-old girl killed last week while she vacationed with her parents in Florida. The crime has shocked everyone.
"I have a 16 year old. It could have been my child," said Cindy Hendrix, one of Courtney's teachers this past year. "This family was kind and caring and this child was too."
Even people who didn't know her stood reverently on the street outside First Baptist Church to show their support.
"If it was my child, I'd just want to know that people care to show up and support the family," said Brooke Fulmer, in a voice choked with emotion.
Maybe the most touching sight outside the service was the Walton County Sheriff's Office patrol cars, from the Florida community where Courtney was killed. Those investigators wouldn't talk about the case, just the heart break of it.
"We got to know this family from dealing with them after this offense occurred," said Major Graham Fountain. "We got to know them and they developed a special place in our hearts."
Some at the funeral said their hearts are broken by an evil that took an innocent girl's life and the innocents of their community.
"I feel angry. I'm a Christian woman but I feel angry. I feel the sense of loss for this family and for everyone," said Hendrix.
She said that loss will be felt for a long time. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Florida man charged in Courtney's murder remains in jail.
http://www.thecoastalsource.com/mos...lkes-laid-to-rest/1R0A8dzYA029ajoroC5PZQ.cspx
A Toombs County girl murdered in Florida last week was laid to rest Wednesday.
Courtney Wilkes, 15, was killed during a family vacation in Walton County on June 16. Steven Anthony Cozzie, a 21-year-old native of Florida, is charged with her murder.
Wednesday, hundreds escorted Wilkes to her final resting place. It was a funeral that came much too soon, devastating a family and people all over Toombs County. But, when the time came to lay Courtney Wilkes to rest, these folks were ready.
Her Toombs County High School soccer teammates made walls to escort her casket from the First Baptist Church of Vidalia to the hearse. Ribbons, balloons and supporters lined the procession route.
"I've been going to church all my life, I've attended many funerals, and it was the most awesome service I have ever been to," Lisa McCormick said. The Wilkes family frequented her gym, located across from First Baptist, and her husband taught Courtney at Vidalia Heritage Academy. "Courtney spoke, that was her funeral and she really spoke."
The star student and athlete was killed last week during a family vacation. Even the men charged with bringing Courtney's killer to justice took pause to mourn.
"We've gotten to know the Wilkes family," Lt. Michael Howell, Walton County Sheriff's Office, said. "We just felt [that] us as public servants, we needed to be here to support them through this."
Howell and other deputies drove six hours from Walton county to be here.
"They are tremendously strong people," Howell said. "They are Christian people who did not deserve what happened to them. I don't understand what happened, but I can tell you they have helped me as an investigator working on this case [to] be strong."
He met the family less than a week ago, but their bond is now forged tight. Though Courtney's gone, she won't be forgotten.
"The whole community loves them and supports them," McCormick said. "We will just continue to pray for them."
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