Pike County, Thomas family will be anything but alone as they lay Dylan Thomas to rest
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Literally and figuratively, Pike County and the family and friends and teammates of Dylan Thomas certainly won’t be alone with the 16-year-old is laid to rest.
No doubt scores of area football teams will be represented for Thomas’ 4 p.m. service at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Williamson, near Griffin in Spalding County about 10 miles from Zebulon.
The church seats about 2,000, and there will no doubt be an overflow of mourners.
The weather will be unseasonably warm, but with little chance of rain.
Days after Thomas’ Sunday night passing, schools throughout Georgia and the nation expressed their grief and support to the town, county, school, family, and team.
The football team will be inundated with jerseys from schools in the south, jerseys with Thomas’ 32 and signed by teams.
The Facebook fundraising page set up by Thomas’ uncle Nick Burgess had passed the$50,000 mark over night, with nearly 1,200 people donating.
Several Central Georgia teams are doing things to raise money, from donations at lunch to simply accepting donations in the front office.
Georgia Bob’s barbque in Byron will host a silent auction – with crafts, wine baskets, and more – on Saturday during its weekly outdoor market next to the restaurant and wine store.
Scores of businesses in Pike County have set up fundraisers of some sort, mostly a percentage of profits going to the Thomas family.
The family will no doubt receive financial help from out of state and far away, Thomas’ death having become a national story.
The support from schools all over, and of all levels, has been staggering, with perhaps hundreds picking a day this week to wear red, one of Pike County’s colors.
Rutland delayed playing the Region 4-AAA tournament softball game until Pike County could attend Wednesday’s visitation. Peach County’s softball team made red ribbons. Both are in the same region as Pike County, as is Central and Westside.
Pike County’s football team plays Rutland at the Ed DeFore Sports Complex at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Here’s a sampling of the staggering and touching social media support for Pike County and the Thomas family from the past two days.