Lewis Harold “Abb” Sumner, 73, of Chula died Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at his residence. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2009, at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Chula. Rev. Larry Layfield will officiate with burial to follow in Mount Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. Derek Jones, Buddy Cawley, Kirby Jones, Reid Jones, Cal Roach and Jeff Roach will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Jack Talley, Evans Locke, Hulen Jones, Donald Jones, Tot Graves, Van Graves, Julian Williams, Larry Jones, Mike Fletcher, Gerald Branch, Pat Cawley, Irvin Branch, Leroy Saylor, Buddy Talley, Frank Pearman, Hubert Jernigan, Curtis Pearman and employees of the waste water treatment plant of the City of Tifton. The family will receive friends on Friday, December 4, 2009, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service.
Mr. Sumner was born on September 18, 1936 in Tift County and was the son of Walter Sumner and Winnie Mae Jordan Sumner, both deceased. He was also preceded in death by one brother, Carlos Sumner. He was retired from the City of Tifton as a maintenance engineer, from Firestone in Albany, and was a farmer. He was a member of Chula United Methodist Church; a United States Army veteran and had lived in Tift County all of his life.
Mr. Sumner is survived by his wife, Faye Singletary Sumner of Chula; two daughters and one son-in-law, Cindy Sumner Purvis of Chula and Sonya and Ed Locke of Blackshear; one brother, Bob Sumner of Ashburn; four grandchildren and their spouses, Lance and Kelly Purvis of Chula, Jadison, Jordan and Jeslyn Locke, all of Blackshear; and one great grandchild, Bryson Lewis Purvis of Chula.