Leatha Diane Hobgood

Leatha Diane Hobgood was a wife, mother and grandmother from Rome, Georgia, remembered by her family and community for her devotion to the people closest to her. She was not a public figure in the conventional sense: she did not hold public office, build a business empire or appear in entertainment or sports. Her life, as described by those who knew her, was centered on home, church and family, and it is in that light that she is remembered following her death in October 2026.

According to her obituary, <cite index="1-10">Leatha was known for her deep love of family and her fiercely protective nature, especially when it came to her children and grandchildren.</cite> <cite index="1-11">She also loved her pets and was especially fond of her dog, Seven, who preceded her in death.</cite> Those who shared memories of her described a woman whose identity was bound up almost entirely in caring for her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family, and whose loss has been felt most keenly within that close circle rather than on a wider public stage.

<cite index="1-3,1-4">Leatha was born on October 31, 1964, in Rome, Georgia, to the late Bill and Marjorie Martin.</cite> <cite index="1-6">She attended Model High School and was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church.</cite> She spent her life in Rome, a small city in Floyd County in northwest Georgia, and remained rooted in that community through her church membership and her family's local ties.

<cite index="1-1,1-2">Leatha Diane Martin Hobgood, age 61, of Rome, Georgia, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, October 16, 2026, due to natural causes.</cite> No further medical details have been made public, and the family's obituary notice gives no indication of a prolonged illness. <cite index="1-12">She is survived by her husband, Rexter Hobgood; her children, Jessica (Michael) Rowe, Ashleigh (PJ) Evans, and Mandi (Jordan) Clement; her grandchildren, Christian (Kyra) Rowe, Rexanna Santos, Luke Milam, Preston Milam, Caleb Evans, Brady Milam, Colten Rowe, Khloe Milam, Will Clement, Logan Clement, and Hayden Evans; and her great-granddaughter, Haven Rowe.</cite> She was predeceased by her parents and by her stepmother, Charlotte Broadway.

Leatha's passing was announced through a funeral home obituary rather than news media coverage, reflecting her life as a private individual rather than a public one. Her family has arranged a funeral service and burial in Rome, where tributes have focused on her role as a wife, mother and grandmother and on the warmth she brought to those closest to her.