Tommy Land, Sr., 75, of the Lands Crossing community died Friday, October 18, 2013, at his residence surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held 2 PM, Sunday, October 20, 2013, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel, Fitzgerald with the Rev. Ray Johnson, the Rev. Sonny Pate, and the Rev. Ed Reeves officiating. Interment will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Saturday evening at the funeral home.
Mr. Land was born October 27, 1937, to the late Henry Land, Jr. and Thelma Coleman Land on family land in Irwin County and lived his entire life in the Lands Crossing Community. He attended school in Fitzgerald and graduated from Ocilla High School in 1955. He studied accounting at South Georgia College in Douglas. Mr. Land worked for American General Life Insurance Company where he earned the Century Club Award. He managed Avco Financial Service for 19 years. The last 24 years of his career, he worked for The Turner Corporation as manager of Ben Hill Finance Company. He also served as secretary of the Turner Corporation Board of Directors. Mr. Land was a member of Arp Missionary Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon and taught the Adult Sunday school class for 27 years. He was a former member of the Elks Lodge in Fitzgerald. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years: Mary Alice Land of the Lands Crossing community; one son: Tommy Land Jr. and his wife Vickie of Jacksonville; and two granddaughters: Charity Land and Bethany Grace Land. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife: Martha Johnson Land, a sister: Ginger Land Tomlinson, and a grandson: Jon Marshal Land.