Family-placed obituaries

Read family-placed obituaries and online guestbooks from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Obituaries

Credit: Courtesy of ADAC

Mackenzie Johnson, beloved leader in the design industry, dies at 40

Mackenzie Johnson, the senior marketing manager for the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center and rising star in interior design, died on May 17.

Credit: Cynthia Daniels

Elliott Brack, publisher of the Gwinnett Extra, dead at 90

Elliott Brack was a veteran Georgia newspaperman who served over three decades as chairman and president of the Red & Black Publishing Co., which runs UGA's student newspaper.

Credit: RCG

Ted Turner’s passion, vision for Braves helped turn them into ‘America’s Team’

Ted Turner's colorful character came out as an Atlanta sports team owner. Turner died Wednesday at age 87.

Ted Turner, CNN founder, business maverick and ‘Mouth of the South,’ dies at 87

Ted Turner, visionary Atlanta businessman, died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by his family, according to a spokesperson for the family.

Credit: John Spink

OBITUARY

Former chancellor Erroll Davis remembered as ‘always a leader’

A former energy company executive, Errol Davis was the first Black chancellor of the University System of Georgia. He then served as superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.

Credit: AJC staff

Lee Walburn, noted journalist and magazine editor, dies at 89

Walburn’s literary prowess helped shape the styles and careers of a host of Southern writers and recast Atlanta’s city magazine as a literary powerhouse.

Credit: Courtesy of Rogers family

OBITUARY

Janice White Sikes Rogers, who shaped how Atlanta preserves Black history, dead at 73

The former librarian served the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System for nearly 40 years and was a community historian and cultural writer throughout her adult life.

Credit: Sarah Esther

Walter Reeves, Georgia gardening guru, has died at age 74

Walter Reeves spread his gardening gospel on WSB radio and through The Atlanta Journal-Constitution over a span of decades.

Credit: HANDOUT

Kirk Kinsell, hotel titan and Georgia Aquarium board member, dies at 71

Kirk Kinsell, a longtime InterContinental Hotels Group executive and Georgia Aquarium board member, died at 71 after a battle with cancer.

Credit: Courtesy of Donna Palmer

Leif Palmer, EPA attorney whose legal action helped build Atlantic Station, dies at 66

His ‘rather brilliant argument’ paved the way for the popular mixed-use development in Midtown, former colleague says.

Credit: Courtesy of the Rieser family

Rosalind Rich Rieser, who danced with Atlanta Civic Ballet, dead at 86

Rosalind Rich Rieser, who was the great-granddaughter of Morris Rich, a founder of iconic Rich’s department store in Atlanta, has died at age 86.

Credit: Courtesy of the Gray family

OBITUARY

Tony Gray, former president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association, dies at 77

Friends said Tony Gray loved his Jamaican culture and had a gift for connecting people across the Caribbean diaspora.

Credit: Courtesy of the Martin family

OBITUARY

Margareta Martin, Scandinavian culture expert, dies at 95

Finnish native Margareta Martin helped establish a wide variety of cultural, business, artistic and culinary links between the Nordic world and Atlanta.

Credit: jgetz@ajc.com

Bernard LaFayette Jr., civil rights strategist, dies at 85

The civil rights organizer helped lead the student sit-ins that desegregated Nashville’s lunch counters and later became a strategist in the Southern voting rights movement.

Credit: AJC

OBITUARY

Former DeKalb County sheriff’s death marks end of tragic saga

The flamboyant and mercurial former DeKalb County sheriff died March 2 of natural causes at Augusta State Medical Prison.

Credit: Courtesy of Life University

OBITUARY

Dr. Guy Riekeman, former Life University president and chancellor, dies at 76

An innovator in the chiropractic profession, he increased student enrollment to full capacity.

Credit: AP

OBITUARY

Coleman Barks, UGA professor and poet who popularized Rumi, dies at 88

UGA poet Coleman Barks, celebrated for his own work and for bringing Rumi’s poetry to modern audiences, died in Athens surrounded by his family at age 88.

OBITUARY

Jon Oscher, philanthropist and entrepreneur, dies at 93

The Cartersville resident supported Booth Museum of Western Art, the Tellus Science Museum and the Savoy Automobile Museum

Carolyn Wills, Atlanta arts scene patron and community activist, dies at 89

Known for her work rescuing the Fox Theatre and championing Atlanta arts, Carolyn Wills dies at the age of 89 after a lifetime of civic leadership.

Credit: Courtesy of Wade-Gayles family

OBITUARY

Dr. Gloria Wade-Gayles, Spelman College professor, writer, activist, dies at 88

Wade-Gayles died Jan. 25 of a heart attack, her family said. She is being remembered for her many accomplishments and activism.

Herschel Bloom, prominent Atlanta attorney, dead at 82

Herschel Bloom, an Atlanta attorney with a passion for baseball, has died. Bloom was a longtime assistant coach of the East Cobb Yankees team for older high school players.

Bill Hembree, GOP state representative, dies at 59

Dr. William (Bill) H. Foege, Atlanta global public health giant, dies at 89

Dr. William (Bill) H. Foege, a former CDC director who helped eradicate smallpox and whose health work saved millions of lives, died Saturday in Atlanta at the age of 89.

Francisco A. Tomei-Torres, retired CDC environmental health scientist, dies at 73

Barry Lynch, pioneer in computer programming, dies at 92

Barry Lynch displayed a sharp intelligence paired with superior analytical skills, his family said. Solving problems, even thorny ones, came naturally to him.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Kristina Sullivan

John Lambis, longtime radio producer and advertising executive, dies at 76

Bob Lacey — one half of Radio Hall of Fame duo Bob & Sheri — credits the late John Lambis with helping lauch his career when they were both 19 in Massachusetts.

Anne Isenhower, respected public relations expert, has died

Anne Isenhower, a well-known public relations professional, died Jan. 1 in her Atlanta home, according to her close friend Danielle Gordon. Isenhower was 59.

T. Rogers Wade, mentor and adviser to prominent Georgia politicians, has died

T. Rogers Wade mentored generations of young Georgians, like Attorney General Chris Carr, seeking traction in politics and the business world.

Atlanta’s Joe Beasley, international civil and human rights advocate, dies

Joe Beasley who was just two weeks shy of his 89th birthday, according to his family, was "a moral force in Atlanta."

Credit: Lynn Adler

Jon Abercrombie, advocate for ending homelessness, dies at 77

He started the nonprofit Charis Community Housing and was one of President Bush’s Thousand Points of Light.

Credit: special

Howard Halpern, restaurateur and philanthropist, dies at 85

Halpern had a towering reputation as a processor and distributor of meat and seafood. He was a tough businessman but also a generous philanthropist and employer.

Credit: Epps Family

Pat Epps, pioneering force in aviation, dies at 91

Aviation pioneer Pat Epps founded what became Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in the 1960s and later helped recover a WWII fighter jet under ice in Greenland.

Credit: Ryon Horne

OBITUARY

Obituaries

Mackenzie Johnson, beloved leader in the design industry, dies at 40

Elliott Brack, publisher of the Gwinnett Extra, dead at 90

Ted Turner’s passion, vision for Braves helped turn them into ‘America’s Team’

Ted Turner, CNN founder, business maverick and ‘Mouth of the South,’ dies at 87

Former chancellor Erroll Davis remembered as ‘always a leader’

Lee Walburn, noted journalist and magazine editor, dies at 89

Janice White Sikes Rogers, who shaped how Atlanta preserves Black history, dead at 73

Walter Reeves, Georgia gardening guru, has died at age 74

Kirk Kinsell, hotel titan and Georgia Aquarium board member, dies at 71

Leif Palmer, EPA attorney whose legal action helped build Atlantic Station, dies at 66

Rosalind Rich Rieser, who danced with Atlanta Civic Ballet, dead at 86

Tony Gray, former president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association, dies at 77

Margareta Martin, Scandinavian culture expert, dies at 95

Bernard LaFayette Jr., civil rights strategist, dies at 85

Former DeKalb County sheriff’s death marks end of tragic saga

Dr. Guy Riekeman, former Life University president and chancellor, dies at 76

Coleman Barks, UGA professor and poet who popularized Rumi, dies at 88

Jon Oscher, philanthropist and entrepreneur, dies at 93

Carolyn Wills, Atlanta arts scene patron and community activist, dies at 89

Dr. Gloria Wade-Gayles, Spelman College professor, writer, activist, dies at 88

Herschel Bloom, prominent Atlanta attorney, dead at 82

Bill Hembree, GOP state representative, dies at 59

Dr. William (Bill) H. Foege, Atlanta global public health giant, dies at 89

Francisco A. Tomei-Torres, retired CDC environmental health scientist, dies at 73

Barry Lynch, pioneer in computer programming, dies at 92

John Lambis, longtime radio producer and advertising executive, dies at 76

Anne Isenhower, respected public relations expert, has died

T. Rogers Wade, mentor and adviser to prominent Georgia politicians, has died

Atlanta’s Joe Beasley, international civil and human rights advocate, dies

Jon Abercrombie, advocate for ending homelessness, dies at 77

Howard Halpern, restaurateur and philanthropist, dies at 85

Pat Epps, pioneering force in aviation, dies at 91

Dave Hayward, who chronicled Atlanta’s LGBTQ history, dead at 76

George Olmstead, successful executive search firm founder, dies at 81

Tom Coffin, activist and former head Atlanta arborist, dies at 82

Bob Roarty, visionary co-founder of Atlanta Vintage Books, dies

Judge Ronald Ramsey helped create city of Stonecrest and believed in second chances

‘He was a dreamer’: Atlanta and national leaders remember Tom Cousins