Thursday
June 26th, 2025
8:30AM
La Venier Thomas Mize (Hicks) passed away on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
La Venier was the wife of Jerry Anthony Hicks and the mother of Bart Mize, both of Cleveland, GA. She prided herself by saying when meeting people as being an original Cabbage Patch Kid having been born in 1947 at the old Dr. L.G. Neal Clinic in Cleveland, GA, the place where the BabyLand started out. She had a great love for the Shoal Creek in White County where she lived and the Shoal Creek Baptist Church, family and friends. She was an avid historian, especially relating to Shoal Creek and the people in the area.
La Venier's parents were Riley H. and artist Maudell Stringer Thomas. Her grandparents were Joe G. and Milbry Reid Thomas and Alex and Cora Bell Kanady Stringer. Besides her parents and grandparents, she was preceded in death by two brothers Quentin H. Thomas and Carl Randy Thomas of Cleveland, GA.
Surviving are son Bart Mize and wife Rhonda Mize; grandchildren Savannah Mize of Gainesville; Shea Mize of Cleveland; Cody Poteete of Athens and stepson Nathan Hicks (Ledia) of Piedmont, SC.; great grandson Miles Poteete of Athens.
Also surviving are brothers Ronald (Trina) Thomas and Buster (Faye) Thomas all of Cleveland, GA and Dora Thomas (Tom) Hudson of Tyron, OK; special nieces and nephews include Kelli Mullis (Todd) of Fayetteville; Carla Porter (John), Chase Thomas (Amanda), Casey Thomas (Lindsey), of Cleveland and Natalie (Adam) Hancock of Tryon, OK; and other relatives and friends.
La Venier loved Heidi, her red-haired faithful companion for many years.
La Venier was a long-time member of Shoal Creek Baptist Church where she served as historian and was member of the New Vision Sunday School Class. La Venier was born in White County and grew up in the Shoal Creek community and lived there all her life. Farm and mountain life suited her and that is where she learned many valuable life lessons. As a teenager at White County High School, she went to work first at the long-gone old Cleveland Drug Store, once located on the east side corner of the old Cleveland Post Office and gas station. At the drugstore she helped run the soda fountain and kept busy making milkshakes and adding up sales on the old antique cash register. The time spent at the drug store gave her first-hand knowledge of who was who in the town of Cleveland, GA. In idle times she helped keep the music going on the record player situated in the store's window.
After high school in 1965 she went to work at the local Talon, Inc. zipper plant and worked there for 34 years doing jobs from housekeeping to managing the plant. In addition, she worked as a part-time photographer and news reporter at The Times in Gainesville for 17 years. For many years she traveled throughout the United States master highlighting the artwork of well-known artist Thomas Kinkade before retiring in 2017 from a unit assistant career at the Ronnie Green Heart Center at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Besides writing several history books about the Shoal Creek community, she had a love for all types of art, crafts, photography and was a life-time Master Gardener. She was well-known for her handmade Christmas ornaments and greeting cards and other crafts. She loved all types of music including Gospel and Country. It is estimated she authored thousands of articles and took as many photographs during her lifetime of work. If anyone asked her why she did not write more articles about White County at large she would tell them, "There is too much history going on in Shoal Creek. She often said that Shoal Creek would have made a good county seat.
She was a life-time member of the White County Historical Society and supporter of the Shoal Creek Goodwill Circle. In her quiet behind the scenes way she helped a lot of people in need and unknown to anyone but only a few people she actually saved the life of two toddlers in Cleveland. In prior years she was a volunteer for the Red Cross and was one of the first females to be certified with the old White County Civil Defense. Most of her formal education was done on the job. She attended work related seminars at North Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech and other places. She was a regular attendee at the leadership conference in Asheville, NC for many years, was a member of the Class of 2000 Leadership Committee for White County; and was given the White County Pacesetter Award in.
Marie Shuler Adams, Ann Skelton, Doctor Dan Winston, Dr. Alan Wolfe, Frances Hatcher, Lew Cooper and many others were some of the many mentors who helped La Venier through the years.
Besides all the work in her lifetime she enjoyed most of all helping plan the Thomas Family Reunion and Stringer Family Reunion for many years and other family reunions.
It was La Venier's wish to be cremated. No public funeral services are planned. The family will celebrate and honor La Venier's life in a private service.
To share a memory or leave a condolence with the family, visit barrettfh.com
Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland.
