marriages

William Szczecinski ’14 married his college sweetheart Caroline (Peters) Szczecinski on May 21, 2022, in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. William’s father, Stephen Szczecinski was the best man and his sister, Caroline Szczecinski ‘16 was among the bridesmaids. Landon Walls ’13, Kameron Sallee ’13, Jackson Schroeder ’14, and William Woods ’14 were among the groomsmen, and Stuart Sligh, Jr. ’14 (1995-2012) was an honorary groomsman. Many other great friends from SCDS were also in attendance. William and Caroline happily reside in New York City.

Lydia (Hartman) Wheat and Will Wheat ’12 were married on January 22, 2022, at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church in downtown Savannah, followed by a reception at the Oglethorpe Club. Kirby Wheat ’15 was among the bridesmaids. The couple now lives in Vernonburg on the southside of Savannah. Will is helping run his family business, Guerry Lumber, and Lydia is a nurse at Savannah Plastic Surgery.

Cara (Considine) Stires ‘12 married Garrett Stires on November 5, 2022, at her parents’ home on Modena Island in Savannah. Bridesmaids included SCDS classmates Caroline Groover ‘12 Elly Arden-Joly ‘12 and Anne Keese Wallace ‘12 Jack Considine ‘16 was among the groomsmen. The couple currently resides in Colorado.

Anna (Stone) DeFilippis ’18 and Will DeFilippis ’18 married on June 18, 2022, at the Charles H. Morris Center, followed by a reception at Kehoe Iron Works in downtown Savannah hosted by Ty Stone ’86 and Tricia Stone. Their brothers, Parker Stone ’17, Ben Stone ’20 Luke DeFilippis ’20 and Alex DeFilippis ’24 as well as cousin Michael Clifton ’23 and SCDS classmate David DeVaro ’18, were groomsmen. Among the bridesmaids were lifelong friends and SCDS classmates Leah Jackson ’18 and Kate Templeton ’17 Anna’s cousin and current SCDS student Georgia Stone ’34 was the flower girl and her grandmother Mollie Stone ’63 made the wedding cake. Anna and Will have happily settled in Chapel Hill, NC.

Michael

Megan (Stout) Battaglia ‘11 married Jack Battaglia on October 15, 2022, at The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in downtown Savannah, followed by cocktails and reception at The Palmetto Clubhouse on Skidaway Island, hosted by Megan’s parents Kathryn and Jack Stout. Fellow SCDS classmates and lifelong friends Markley Jones ‘11 and Isabel MacGuire ‘11 were among the bridesmaids. It was a wonderful day for Megan and Jack, who met and work in New York City. The couple now resides in the New Jersey suburbs where Jack grew up.

Tucker Compton ‘09 and Leslie (Ecklund)

Compton married on November 6, 2021, with an intimate wedding ceremony at Cloudland Canyon State Park with his brothers, Charlie Compton ‘05 and Kelley Compton ‘11 and immediate family members present. After moving back to Savannah at the beginning of 2022, they were able to celebrate with all their family and friends, including Cameron Pember ‘09, Ashal Patel ‘09, Benjamin Watson ‘09, Christian Demere ‘09, John Skeadas ‘09, Taylor (Edgar) Williamson ‘09, Kathryn (Groover) Pross ‘09, Morgan (Roberts) Caldwell ‘09, Tyler Harden ‘09, Curt Lewis ‘09, Daniel Suthers ‘09, Lane Curlee ‘08, Kate (Sadler) Andrews ‘09, Patrick Johnston ‘07, Sam Lewis ‘09, Katherine (Monsees) Bennett ‘09, Camille (Mercer) Lyon ‘09, Travis Carter ‘08, Cole Gentes ‘08, Frederick Schmoe ‘09, David Toraya ‘09, Katherine (Dotson) Toraya ‘09, and Stuart Williams ‘09 on April 24, 2022, at the Savannah Gun Club.

Alex Sovchen ‘12 and Ann Darby Smith were married at Lake Oconee on October 22, 2022. The wedding took place at the Ritz-Carlton, with an outdoor lakeside ceremony, followed by a reception in the ballroom. Alex’s older brother, Chris Sovchen ‘10 was his best man, and fellow alumni Ron Berry ‘12 Jack Edwards ‘12, and Hamilton Pirkle ‘12, were members of the wedding party. Alex and Ann Darby currently reside in Atlanta.

John Kingston, Jr ‘03 and Mackenzie (Shelton) Kingston married on June 11, 2022, at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church. The couple resides in Savannah.

Remembrances

The Country Day community was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of longtime faculty member Cesar Justo Noble at the age of 90. Señor Noble passed away peacefully on October 23, 2022. Sr. Noble and his wife Dottie arrived at SCDS in the fall of 1976 and quickly immersed themselves in school and student life, with Dottie eventually joining the Upper School faculty in 1984. Sr. Noble taught Spanish in Upper School for 20 years and served the school in several other capacities, including foreign language department chair, student club advisor, and coordinator of the summer travel abroad program in Spain. He is also remembered for assembling winning sports programs at Country Day—he was instrumental in starting the baseball program and growing the boys’ soccer program into city champs. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Sr. Noble’s life-long friend and wife, Dottie, their son, Rick Noble ‘88 and the entire family.

We are deeply saddened to share the death of cherished teacher Elizabeth “Libby” Blake. Mrs. Blake passed away on August 13, 2022, with her husband and daughter at her side. Mrs. Blake taught at Country Day for 21 years in a myriad of positions, most notably Middle School science teacher and department chair. The Country Day community offers our sincerest condolences to Libby’s husband, Willson Blake, daughter, Virginia Blake ‘00, and the entire family.

We are saddened to share the death of music teacher, Louis H. “Bud” Rhymes, Jr. Mr. Rhymes passed away suddenly on June 4, 2022, after a short illness. Mr. Rhymes conducted the Troubadours, the Upper School Chorus, and the Jazz Ensemble at Savannah Country Day from 1975 to 1983. We offer our sincerest condolences to Mr. Rhymes’ family and friends.

With a heavy heart, we share that retired Country Day food service director Ruby Constance Benson Bacon age 103, died at home on November 5, 2022. Mrs. Bacon was the food service director at Savannah Country Day from 1957-1984. The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America sent her a huge arrangement of flowers for her 100th birthday as she held the record for their oldest and longest-retired client. During her time at SCDS, her claim to fame was her delicious apple crisp! The Country Day community offers our sincerest condolences to Mrs. Bacon’s son Marc Bacon ‘70, granddaughter Caroline (Creaser) Pritchard ‘98, and the entire family.

We share the death of beloved teacher Patricia Anne Shelley Fox with a heavy heart. Mrs. Fox passed away on August 8, 2022, surrounded by her family. Mrs. Fox generously served Country Day in a multitude of roles from 1981-1993, including Middle School English teacher and Coach for the girls varsity tennis team. The Country Day community offers our sincerest condolences to Pat’s husband, Kevin Fox, sons, Michael Fox ‘86, Alex Fox ‘90, and Christopher Fox ‘93, and the entire family.

Country Day alumni Florence (Minis) Slatinsky ‘94, Liz (Lientz) Macfadyen ‘96, Fitz Haile ‘95, Denton Stone ‘88, Marc Bailey ‘92, and Amy (Benton) Haenel ‘89 lovingly served as ushers at Mrs. Fox’s funeral.