Julia Ann Alligood

THOMASVILLE, GA - Julia Ann Alligood, 62, died April 4, 2024, at her sister’s home on Lower Meigs Road in Colquitt County. She had been a resident of Thomasville for several decades.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 AM Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery with the Reverend Jamie Bone officiating.  The family will greet friends immediately after the service.

Miss Alligood was born March 10, 1962, to the late Rev. Jesse Alligood and Elizabeth Ann Hiers Alligood. Doctors informed the couple that their daughter was destined to be developmentally delayed. Years later, testing revealed she was born with additional genetic material on the 22nd chromosome, a condition known as Trisomy 22 that limited her intellectual development. She never learned to talk, yet her situation gave voice to a lifelong mission by her mother in the field of special education. Mrs. Elizabeth Alligood was the first director of Sunny Dale Training Center in Ocilla. 

By 1973, when Julia Ann turned 11, the Alligood’s recognized she was going to need more attention and care than could be given in a local setting. They made the heart-wrenching decision to place her in a state-run institution where she would have around-the-clock care. In her forties, Julia Ann came to live in Thomasville, first at Rose Haven, and in recent decades in group homes around the city. 

At birth Miss Alligood was not expected to live beyond her teens, but she turned 62 on March 10, 2024, despite numerous health issues over the past decade. The family is very appreciative of the staff at Georgia Pines, who run the homes where she has lived, and is certain their steadfast care of Miss Alligood is among the reasons she lived beyond expectations. 

Miss Alligood was predeceased by her parents and a great-niece Josephine Claire Hutchinson. She is survived by four siblings: Stephen Leon Alligood (Bertie) of Lebanon, Tennessee; Larry Lamar Alligood (Margaret) of Augusta; Miriam Ruth Weeks (Derek) of Valdosta and Carol Beth Alligood of Moultrie.  She is also survived by seven nephews: Arthur Alligood (Tiffany), Shepherd Alligood, Jacob Weeks, John Weeks, Michael Alligood (Megan), Stewart Lucas (Alysse) and Caleb Alligood (Caitlin); two nieces: Meredith Conner (Lee) and Sarah Hutchinson (Taylor); six great-nephews, Jake, Jesse, Walker, Aspen, Ramsey Alligood and Beau Conner and nine great-nieces, Corban, Elsie, Lucy, Isabel, Stella and Ellison Alligood, Bryce Conner, Carter Lucas and Abigail Weeks.

The family wishes to thank the nurses and doctors at Archbold Memorial Hospital who diligently cared for Miss Alligood during numerous emergency room visits and hospitalizations over the years. Thanks also are extended to the staff of Colquitt Regional Hospice for their compassionate care of Miss Alligood in her final week of life. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for readers to consider making a donation to any organization that assists intellectually disabled individuals or to Special Olympics.