Jordan Puryear "J.P." Short, III, 91, of Tifton passed away Friday, July 29, 2005, at his home. His funeral service was held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2005, at Tifton's First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. William Oliver and the Rev. Jerry Lillard officiating. Mr. Short was laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
J.P. "Jay" Short V., Rodd Reed, Jamie Simpson, Steve Gill, Jay Campbell and Alan Campbell served as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers were present and past employees of Short and Paulk in Tifton.
Born May 4, 1914, in Tift County, Mr. Short was the son of the late, Jordan Puryear Short, II and Linda Hollingsworth Short. He was also preceded in death by his beloved wife of 60 years, Virginia Campbell Short; and one sister, Mary Porter Short Grantham. At a very early age, he began working with his father in the family business, Short Hardware. After the deaths of both his parents in 1932, he managed the business for a short time. in the mid-930s, J.P. closed Short Hardware and took a job as the manager of Rodenberry Hardware. In 1941, J.P. and his Uncle Horace Paulk started Short & Paulk Supply Company in an old warehouse along the tracks on South Main Street. At his uncle's death in 1961, J.P. purchased the remaining shares and became the sole proprietor. Today, Short & Paulk is a successful, third-generation family business with lumber yards in Tifton, Sylvester and Cordele and a truss manufacturing facility in Tifton. In 1999, Short & Paulk was named Georgia Family Business of the Year by Kennesaw State University and Georgia Trend Magazine.
J.P. was a good businessman, a good mixer and made friends by the score and held them. He was a civic leader as well as a highly respected businessman and a leader in the building materials industry. He was very active for many years in the Tifton Merchants Association and the Chamber of Commerce. In 1995, he received the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce Wall of Fame Award. He also served several terms on the Tift County Board of Education. He was active for 40 years in the Southwest Georgia Building Material Dealers Association and served as president for a number of terms. J.P. served as president and Insurance Fund trustee for the Building Material Merchants Association of Georgia and Alabama. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of the National Lumber and Building Material Merchants Association.
J.P. was an avid supporter of Abraham Baldwin College and the ABAC Foundation, where he was a member of the President's Club and endowed a $50,000 ABAC Scholarship, the J.P. Short Scholarship for Free Enterprise. He was a lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church in Tifton, where he was an active member and past president of the Nath Williams Sunday School Class. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Tifton Lions Club, where he received the 50-year service award. An avid outdoorsman, J.P. was an active supporter of the South Georgia boy scouts; and he was a member of the Ferry Lake Fishing Club of Tifton and the Lake Vern Fishing and Hunting Club of Homerville.
He married Virginia Campbell of Athens on December 26, 1934. J.P. was a devoted husband and father. J.P. and Virginia shared a love of gardening. They enjoyed sharing their camellias with friends throughout the community.
J.P. is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Jordan Puryear IV and Rosemary Short; one daughter and son-in-law, Loraine and Jack Sullivan; four grandchildren and their spouses, Jordan "Jay" V and Gayle Short, Linda and Rodd Reed. Holly and Jamie Simpson; Rebecca and Steve Gill; and twelve great-grandchildren/
J.P. loved his family and friends and was especially proud of his twelve great-grandchildren, who affectionately called him "Pappy". He enjoyed spending time with all of his family in the North Georgia mountains and on the family farm in Tifton. J.P. was a congenial, good-natured man, quick to crack a joke and flash a smile. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and business associates.
Memorial gifts may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Tifton, 107 12th Street West, Tifton, GA 31794; Hospice of Tift Area, 618 Central Avenue North, Tifton, GA 31794; or the Tifton-Tift County Public Library, 245 Love Avenue, Tifton, GA 31794.