Service: 11 o'clock Friday February 9, 2018 Place: Zion Baptist Church, Covington Visitation:4-6, Thursday evening at Henry Funeral Home, Lithonia Visitation: One hour prior to service time at the church Curless Baxter Strickland, age 87, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, formerly of Conyers, died February 1, 2018. She was preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, J. W. Strickland; and children, James "Sonny" Strickland, Leisa Strickland Ludwin; sister, Mildred Speaks She is survived by her daughter, Jan Strickland Hester of Fountain Hills, AZ; grandchildren, Lance Retter and Layne Ludwin; sisters, Bobbie Finley, Diane Foster and Jean Miller. Curless Strickland explained her beautiful and unusual first name as a gift from her father. She grew up in Anderson, S.C. where she was the first in her family to graduate from Massey Business College. She soon moved to Georgia, found her mate for life and had three children, which in turn gave her two grandchildren. Curless retired as a Manager of an Insurance Company after 35 years of service along with being a Mother of three and a wonderful wife. After retiring, she was very active in the lives of her grandchildren and devoted outreach time for her Sunday School Class. Curless Baxter married J.W. Strickland in June of 1954. They were married for 30 years and resided in Atlanta until they found their final home in Conyers. Curless enjoyed concerts such as Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Andy Williams, (recorded, of course), and the Symphony/Orchestra. She loved watching the cooking shows and old classic movies on T.V. Her true passion was shopping and finding bargains no matter what the "treasure"! She liked to "people watch" and listen to their stories. Of course, she had a few stories of her own regarding life on the "City Farm" with her Mother and two sisters. Second to none, Curless adored spending time with her family! She looked forward to reuniting with her granddaughter, Layne which now resides in Florida. She so enjoyed the visits and outings with her grandson, Lance. Curless was also named the "Lucky Charm" for her grand nephew's (like a great grandson) baseball team. She was and forever will be, our lucky charm! A funeral service will be held 11 o'clock Friday, February 9, 2018 at Zion Baptist Chruch in Covington with remains placed in state at 10 o'clock . Rev. Reece Sanders and Dr. Lane Collins will officiate. Interment will follow at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4-6 Thursday evening February 8th at Henry Funeral Home, Lithonia and one hour prior to the service time at the church.