Emmett Lynwood Meeks

Emmett Lynwood Meeks, 75, passed away on October 6th, at Hospice Atlanta while his wife and sons were by his side.  He was born October 27, 1931 to John Emmett Meeks and Annie Louise Clough Meeks at their home in Coffee County, Georgia.  He was the eldest of three children.



Mr. Meeks will be sadly missed by his wife of almost 52 years, Betty Ricketson Meeks; his son, Emory L. Meeks and his wife, Yvonne, and their children, Jordan and Jared, of Lawrenceville, GA; and his son David L. Meeks and his wife, Kenda, and their children, Matthew, Alyssa, and Kristen, of Marietta, Ga.  He is also survived by his mother, Annie Louise Clough Meeks; his sister, Sybil Benson, along with her husband, Louis, and their children and grandchildren; and his sister Jan Ringhaver along with her children and grandchildren.  He is further survived by many of the larger Meeks clan and extended families whom he dearly loved.



Emmett was devoted to his family and friends.  He developed many deep and rich friendships which have lasted a lifetime and these friends have become an extension of the family.  He and his wife Betty served as an example to many of what a loving marriage is like when lived out.  Until the end of his life, their love was evident.  It was palpable and could be felt and seen by all.



When Emmett (Lynwood to many in his home town of Douglas) was growing up, he lived his life on the family farm, helping with the chores of running it and learning the character trait of hard work.  He joined the military in 1950 where he served as a part of the Air Force Military Police in Wiesbaden Germany for more than 3 years.  After he returned home, he met Betty, his wife-to-be, and they were married on December 18, 1955.



After the military, Emmett returned to college and graduated from Georgia State University.  He became an accountant and worked for the Georgia state government as an accountant, auditor, and eventually became the Governor?s Fiscal Officer where he served under several administrations.  After his retirement, he devoted much of his time and effort to researching and documenting the genealogy of his family.



A funeral service will be held at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home in Decatur on Monday, October 8th at 7PM.  The family will receive friends from 5 until 7PM.

His remains will then be transported to his hometown of Douglas for a funeral service at his home church, Central Baptist Church on Wednesday, October 10th at 11AM.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.  The family will receive friends at Ricketson Funeral Home 7 to 9PM Tuesday evening.



A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home is responsible for the arrangements in Atlanta (Decatur), and Ricketson Funeral Home will be responsible for the arrangements in Douglas.