Cynthia “Jean” Floyd Batchelor

PERRY – Cynthia “Jean” Floyd Batchelor was born on February 14, 1921, in Unadilla, Georgia to the late S.C. “Shade” Floyd and Pearl Borum Floyd. She was born and raised there until 1937 when she met and married the love of her life, her husband, Minor Edwin “Ed” Batchelor.
They moved to Houston County and started a family on a farm outside of Perry and there she would live for the rest of her life. In 1971, when Ed passed away from cancer after only 34 years together, Jean would continue to take care of her grandchildren while their parents worked. She would tell many, many stories over the years about her grandkids and the mischief they got into. She loved cooking for them and transporting them to and from school. She was always making treats for them. She loved them but was known to get the switch out if they didn’t mind. They didn’t get away with much with Grandma, but she was a lot of fun. Jean was a great cook, but her biggest passion was her flowers and her yard. She loved working in it and watching them grow each season. She especially enjoyed cutting her grass and trimming her bushes. 

Another passion of hers was her vegetable garden, when it was in season, it was number 1 and all the families stopped and helped. When the season came to an end, everyone enjoyed what was canned and put in the freezer. She taught us the reasoning behind planting crook neck squash instead of straight and was a great teacher of the whole process of gardening. Another love of Jean’s was her red golf cart. She would visit her children who lived down the road and ride the farm to check fences and make sure the cows were all in.

She had other hobbies like sewing and making quilts, but the one thing she loved the most was her family of 5 generations, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Family gatherings and cooking for them made her happy and was her biggest joy. Her vegetable soup was a family favorite, banana pudding, cheese grits, and her special cake recipes are among all of her great recipes she has passed down to family and friends. 

People would always ask her, “What is your secret to your long life?” To which she would always say, “Staying active and always staying busy. Never sitting down.” Her wise advice will be dearly missed, and her examples of how to be a loving, hard-working Southern grandma will be treasured by everyone who knew her. 

Jean loved the lord and was a member of Houston Lake Baptist Church for 78 years, their longest-living member until April 14, 2024, when God called her home to be with him. Cynthia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brothers; J.W. Floyd and Calvin Bishop “C.B.” Floyd; and her late son-in-law, Jarrett C. Nelson.

Left to cherish the memories they made with Cynthia are her loving and devoted children, Betty Nelson of Perry, Joe Batchelor (Barbara) of Perry, and Carol Davis (Jerry) of Perry; her grandchildren, Earl Nelson (Wendy), Wayne Nelson (Pam), Angela Quinn (Kenny), Jody Batchelor (Delane), Reid Belflowers, Alva Davis (Amy), and Katie Davis; a younger sister, Louise Oneal Taylor; sixteen great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. 

Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.