George M. Kirkland, Jr. Obituary

A native of Waycross, GA, he had lived in Albany since 1947 and was a charter member and Elder Emeritus at Covenant Presbyterian Church, attended public school in Waycross and the University of Georgia. During WWII, he served with the American Red Cross for five years in England, India Burma, China and Japan as Director of Military Welfare Service in CBI Theater, Director of Club Services for Far East Theater and assistant to Commissioner of Far East Theater in Tokyo. Entering the real estate business in October, 1947 as co-founder of Walden and Kirkland, Realtors, Inc. which he was affiliated with for over 60 years where he was Chairman of Board for several years. He had several business affiliations including former Director of Georgia Northern Railway Co. (now Norfolk Southern) former Director and member of the advisory committee at First State Bank and Trust Co., past president of Albany Board of Realtors and Georgia Association of Realtors, Inc., past vice-president of the National Association of Realtors, member and past president of Georgia Chapter of the society of Industrial and Office Realtors. He was also very active in civic activities; past president and director with Albany Area Chamber of Commerce; member of Georgia Chamber of Commerce; member of Industrial Development Commission, Georgia Business Council; Director and Past Chairman, Albany Chapter of the American Red Cross, Advisory Board member, Southern Region of the American Red Cross; past president of the Albany Lions Club; member of Albany Rotary Club; life member Advisory Committee of The Salvation Army; served for 18 years as Chairman of the Advisory Commission for Albany Area Vocational Technical School and member of the Foundation; past president of the Girl Scouts of America Inc.; past officer of the Boy Scouts of America; Inc. former Board member at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and member of Phoebe Foundation. Mr. Kirkland was honored by the State of Georgia as the Distinguished Senior Georgian for 2004.He was preceded in death three sisters, Virginia Kirkland Mullis, Evelyn Kirkland Compton and Dorothy Kirkland Snow.Survivors include his wife, Carol Forrester Kirkland, children, Ethelyn Stokes Underwood and her husband Johnny of Fitzgerald, GA, Richard Hamilton Stokes and his wife Amy of Lilburn, GA, Thomas Fulton Stokes and his wife Cheryl of Jacksonville, FL, the grandchildren, Raymond Lee Mann, III Esquire and his wife Sheila of Atlanta, GA, Dr. Thomas Richard Mann and his wife Natalie of Fitzgerald, GA, Dr. Jennifer Stokes Draut and husband Jason of El Cerrito, CA, Dr. Todd Hamilton Stokes of Atlanta, GGA, Kimberly Stokes Rumble and her husband Pat of Jacksonville, FL, his sisters, Louise Kirkland Holman and husband Henry of Albany, Betty Kirkland Strickland an husband Ronald of Roswell, GA an a number of nieces and nephews.Those desiring may make memorials to Covenant Presbyterian Church, Albany Chapter of the American Red Cross or the Albany Community Hospice.My grandfather George was an unique and exceptional person. I have never met anyone else like him. He had a big, broad smile, and he was almost always smiling. He had a hearty laugh, and he laughed a lot. He had a warm but firm handshake, and he held your hand longer than most people when he shook it. George loved life. He loved nature. Most of all, he loved people. He loved his mother, Big Mama, and he cared for her for the last 30 years of her life after she lost her sight. He loved his sisters and their husbands and their children and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loved my grandmother Carol and she loved him. Their love for each other was deep and unquestioning and eternal. He loved his children and his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. When I brought my boys to see George three weeks ago, when things were not going well at all for him, he still flashed his big smile and insisted on play-boxing with th

George M. Kirkland, Jr. Obituary

June 25, 1911 - February 13, 2009