Dr. O. Grey Rawls, Jr. Obituary

Dr. O. Grey Rawls, Jr. MD passed away Saturday, January 28, 2012 at his residence. Funeral services will be held Monday, January 30, 2012 at 11:00AM at Covenant Presbyterian Church with interment to follow at Crown Hill Cemetery. Dr. Paul Luthman and Dr. William "Biff" Coker will officiate. Dr. O. Grey Rawls was a prominent surgeon and practiced medicine in Albany for about forty years. He was born in Pike County Georgia to Mary Baker Rawls and Otis Grey Rawls. He graduated from Spalding High School and entered Emory University. After graduation, he attended Emory Medical School. He received his postgraduate medical training at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, New York and Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. While in New York, he met his wife, Betty Wheat and they were married in 1949. They were married for fifty four years and were blessed with three lovely daughters, Debra Rawls Pricola and her husband, Mike of Port Hueneme, California, Ann Rawls Spiak and her husband, Drew of Portland, Oregon and Nancy Grey Rawls Smith and her husband, Stacy of Savannah, Georgia, four granddaughters, Holly D. Valles, of Stockton, California Christy Dalton of Lodi, California, Brandy D. Gomez of Stockton, California and Shawna Grigg of Atlanta, Georgia. Two sisters, Mrs. Betty R. Copeland of Williamson, Georgia and Mrs. Nancy T Ethridge of Griffin, Georgia. His devotion to his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren never wavered; his passion to serve his fellow man never waned, as his family, friends, co-workers and patients will attest. A man of sterling character, Dr. Rawls was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon. He was a member of Phoebe Putney Hospital Board for ten years and had formerly served as president of the Dougherty County Medical Society, a member of the Georgia Medical Medicaid Surgery Review, chairman of the United Way, president of The Rotary Club and member of the Georgia Department of Human Resources Board. Dr. Rawls was a recipient of the Albany Exchange Club Golden Deed Award, a true testament of his unflinching altruism. He served for many years on the boards of First Federal Savings and Loan and Darton College Foundation. Dr. Rawls was a World War II veteran, retiring as a captain in the medical corps in 1949. He was an accomplished horseman, winning first place in the AM division of the Georgia Cutting Horse Association. He was also an avid aviator who enjoyed the freedom of the sky; yet, he also had a deep connection with the farmland, as he considered himself a farmer and cattleman. Free of pretension and conceit, Dr. Rawls embodied all the great qualities of a family man, scholar, physician and humanitarian; but most importantly, he was a gentleman-genteel, courtly and above all else, sincerely interested in the well-being of others. His companion, Peggy Cullars Guillebeau, expressed this sentiment about Grey: "I have been truly blessed to be a part of his life in his later years and his passing will leave a void in the lives of all of us who were fortunate enough to call Grey our friend. He never stopped loving his wife, Betty but he never let her passing deter him from sharing his love with others." One of Grey's favorite quotes from Winston Churchhill was, "We make a living by what we get. We make life by what we give." Memorials may be made to Albany Community Hospice at 320 Foundation Lane, Albany, GA 31721. You may sign the guestbook and share your thoughts with the family of Dr. Grey Rawls by visiting our website at www.kimbrellstern.com.

Dr. O. Grey Rawls, Jr. Obituary

February 4, 1923 - January 28, 2012