William Benton "Bill" Singer
April 24, 1935 — April 24, 2017
William Benton "Bill" Singer, 82, of Lumpkin, GA passed away on Monday, April 24, 2017 at Columbus Hospice.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Lumpkin United Methodist Church located at 1601 Broad Street in Lumpkin, GA with Rev. Dan Smith officiating. The family will receive friends following the services at the church according to McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory 3874 Gentian Blvd. Columbus.
Bill was a lifelong resident of Lumpkin, Georgia. He attended school in Lumpkin, and graduated from the Darlington School and Emory University where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta, serving as president. At Emory, he met and married Sara Staton, who became his wife and companion of 59 years.
Bill's life centered on caring for family, friends and place. After graduating from university, he returned to Lumpkin to build a life with Sara, working as a businessman and farmer growing peanuts and cotton and then timber in his retirement. He also enjoyed managing Fat Mule Farm and his mules, horses and bird dogs. Bill had a singular way of recognizing and developing a good story and regularly told those stories he collected through his lifetime to friends and family.
He found ways to work for the community he cared for, working with others to establish Historic Westville and the Stewart County Historical Commission. He helped to initiate the restoration of the Bedingfield Inn, considered to be the first small-town community preservation efforts in Georgia. Bill served as mayor of Lumpkin on three separate occasions over 50 years, most recently in 2008.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jefferson Davis Singer and Fleeta Benton Singer, his sister, Mary Hale, and brother, Jeff, Jr.
Along with his wife, Sara, he is survived by his brothers, Fred (Jeanne) and Buck (Dot). He leaves behind his children Rip Singer (Linda), Mary Bruce (Gary), Marian Rose (Michael), Julian Singer (Chandler Collins), and grandchildren, Will Singer, Tory Singer (Casey), Sara Carolyn Bruce, Benton Bruce, Neilly Rose, Evie Rose, James Rose, Garrett Rose, Wesley Bruer and Warren Bruer (Allie).
Bill's immediate family thanks friends and family for their support during his illness. His family gives special thanks caregivers at Spring Harbor and Columbus Hospice.
Contributions can be made to the following charities dear to Bill in lieu of flowers: Lumpkin United Methodist Church P.O. Box 188 Lumpkin, Ga 31815, the Georgia Alzheimer's Association 5156 River Road, Suite M Columbus, GA 31904, or the Stewart County Historical Commission, P.O. Box 818 Lumpkin, GA 31815.
Lumpkin, GA
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Lumpkin United Methodist Church located at 1601 Broad Street in Lumpkin, GA with Rev. Dan Smith officiating. The family will receive friends following the services at the church according to McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory 3874 Gentian Blvd. Columbus.
Bill was a lifelong resident of Lumpkin, Georgia. He attended school in Lumpkin, and graduated from the Darlington School and Emory University where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta, serving as president. At Emory, he met and married Sara Staton, who became his wife and companion of 59 years.
Bill's life centered on caring for family, friends and place. After graduating from university, he returned to Lumpkin to build a life with Sara, working as a businessman and farmer growing peanuts and cotton and then timber in his retirement. He also enjoyed managing Fat Mule Farm and his mules, horses and bird dogs. Bill had a singular way of recognizing and developing a good story and regularly told those stories he collected through his lifetime to friends and family.
He found ways to work for the community he cared for, working with others to establish Historic Westville and the Stewart County Historical Commission. He helped to initiate the restoration of the Bedingfield Inn, considered to be the first small-town community preservation efforts in Georgia. Bill served as mayor of Lumpkin on three separate occasions over 50 years, most recently in 2008.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jefferson Davis Singer and Fleeta Benton Singer, his sister, Mary Hale, and brother, Jeff, Jr.
Along with his wife, Sara, he is survived by his brothers, Fred (Jeanne) and Buck (Dot). He leaves behind his children Rip Singer (Linda), Mary Bruce (Gary), Marian Rose (Michael), Julian Singer (Chandler Collins), and grandchildren, Will Singer, Tory Singer (Casey), Sara Carolyn Bruce, Benton Bruce, Neilly Rose, Evie Rose, James Rose, Garrett Rose, Wesley Bruer and Warren Bruer (Allie).
Bill's immediate family thanks friends and family for their support during his illness. His family gives special thanks caregivers at Spring Harbor and Columbus Hospice.
Contributions can be made to the following charities dear to Bill in lieu of flowers: Lumpkin United Methodist Church P.O. Box 188 Lumpkin, Ga 31815, the Georgia Alzheimer's Association 5156 River Road, Suite M Columbus, GA 31904, or the Stewart County Historical Commission, P.O. Box 818 Lumpkin, GA 31815.
Memorial Services
APR 26. 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT)
Lumpkin United Methodist ChurchLumpkin, GA
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