George Mitchell Chambliss, 69, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, the morning of Saturday, September 3, 2011, at St. Mary's Hospice in Athens. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. Rev. Stephen Webb will officiate with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
A resident of Lake Oconee, Mr. Chambliss was born May 15, 1942 in Albany to the late J. G. Chambliss and Dolly Mitchell Chambliss. He spent his childhood years in Tifton, graduated from Tift County High School and then attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. In 1965, he graduated from Georgia Southern College with a B.S. in Recreation.
Following graduation, Mr. Chambliss was employed as the Director of Parks and Recreation for many cities in Georgia, including Winder, Milledgeville and Dalton. In 1978, he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he served as Assistant Director of Recreation for the City of Dallas for three years. He then moved back to his beloved state of Georgia and served as Executive Director of the Jekyll Island Authority from 1981-1995.
Mr. Chambliss had many professional accomplishments, but he enjoyed his years at Jekyll the most and was responsible for beautifying the island as well as making it financially more successful. He was past president of the Georgia Parks and Recreation Society and was voted Professional of the Year for the same organization in 1987. He also was awarded Alumnus of the year for Georgia Southern University in 1988. He retired in 2007, after serving as General Manager of the Country Club of Lexington, South Carolina.
Mr. Chambliss was an avid golfer, fisherman and pilot, who loved spending time with his grandchildren and family.
Mr. Chambliss is survived by his wife, Lynn Hardwick Chambliss; three daughters, Elizabeth Chambliss Calhoun and husband, John of Columbus, Lacy Chambliss Sinkwich and husband, Frank III of Athens and Jordan Kelley Chambliss of Eatonton; one sister, Peggy Chambliss Bailey and husband, Dr. Martin Bailey; and five grandchildren, Jackson Mitchell Gross, Elizabeth Lacy Gross, Rosemary Bailey Gross, Frank Francis Sinkwich IV and Adeline Louise Sinkwich.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Georgia Southern University Foundation, P. O. Box 8063, Statesboro, GA 30460.