Longtime Peach County probate judge retiring at the end of May

When Peach County Probate Court Judge Deborah W. Hunnicutt started working as a court clerk in 1981, she never dreamed she’d one day be a judge.

Hunnicutt, 60, who is retiring at the end of May, took the Probate Court clerk’s position about 35 year ago because she needed the job.

“I’ve just been here forever,” Hunnicutt said with a laugh.

As fate would have it, Hunnicutt stepped into the role as the county’s probate judge while she was the chief clerk in December 1990. She served as the acting judge for two years after Judge John Smisson had a stroke. And in 1992, Hunnicutt was elected to the four-year post, the only time she faced opposition for the post.

Retiring after all these years is bittersweet, she said.

“You get to help an awful lot of people in this job,” Hunnicutt said. “The people put me here, and I’ve just been honored to serve them.”

But Hunnicutt said she’s ready to retire and return to gardening and painting, which she didn’t have much time for during her career.

“I’ve been married for 43 years this year. The majority of those years, I’ve worked, and I really would like to be a wife and homemaker first now,” she said.

“I would like to enjoy my family, my home and take care of them for a while. There were times they had to come after the job,” she said. “I’m just ready to be that — a homemaker.”

She plans to enjoy time with daughter and son-in-law, Amber and Ray Malquist, and their three sons, Ryan, Clay and Matthew.

Her son-in-law recently retired from the military and moved the family from Washington state to Middle Georgia. Hunnicutt said she missed a lot of her grandsons’ growing-up years and plans to make the most of being close to her family.

Hunnicutt and her husband also had a son, Rob, who died in 2005.

Deborah Hunnicutt said she is looking forward to taking more trips with her husband to the mountains near Franklin, North Carolina, a favorite vacationing spot.

“Mostly, just take things day by day and enjoy what life brings along,” she said.

Changes in Probate Court

Hunnicutt has seen a few changes over the years in Probate Court, which mostly handles estates, marriage certificates and gun permits.

Since Peach County does not have a State Court, Probate Court also serves as a traffic court. In addition, Hunnicutt is responsible for issuing orders for mental health evaluations of those accused of crimes.

One of the changes in Probate Court that Hunnicutt herself sought in late 2007 and early 2008 was the creation of an election board. Before that, Probate Court in Peach County also was responsible for elections.

“I enjoyed (the elections), but they were stressful,” Hunnicutt said. “There’s a little bit of excitement in doing that. ... But an election takes so much time, and it sort of took away from the time you were able spend with the other parts of your job. But you still have to get them all done.”

Another change that came in recent years from the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia was the required certification of all Probate Court judges across the state, Hunnicutt said. She was among the first group of Probate Court judges to complete the 72 hours of course work, she said.

Hunnicutt is known for being particular about how things are done in Probate Court, said Sheriff Terry Deese. Everything must be done exactly right.

“There’s really going to be a void when she leaves,” Deese said. “You don’t replace that professionalism and experience overnight.”

Hunnicutt was already working as a Probate Court clerk when Deese first started working as a deputy in April 1983.

“Whoever goes in there has big shoes to fill regardless of who it is,” he said.

The election of a new judge is on the May 24 primary ballot with two candidates in the running. Alhough Hunnicutt is retiring at the end of May, the winner will still take office in January 2017, she said.

Connie Smith, the chief clerk in Probate Court, who’s already serving as an associate judge in Probate Court, will serve in that capacity until the newly elected judge takes office, Hunnicutt said.

Although she’s looking forward to starting a new chapter in her life, Hunnicutt said it’s hard to say goodbye.

“I’m going to miss the people that come in here,” Hunnicutt said. “I love the people that work here, that work with the county. ... That’s the part that I’ll miss, the people.”

This story was originally published May 1, 2016 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Longtime Peach County probate judge retiring at the end of May."