William Key
Augusta, GA - William Ollie Key went to his eternal home on Sunday, July 13, 2014.
Family members include his beloved wife of 57 years, Nell Ray Key; his three sons: William Ollie Key, Jr. (Jan), James Ray Key, and David Warren Key (Pam); his one granddaughter, Katherine Anne Key; and his five grandsons: William Ollie Key, III, Andrew Wilson Key, Preston Ray Key, James Ray Key, Jr., and David Warren Key, Jr.
The funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia with Dr. Greg DeLoach officiating, and Dr. R. J. Robinson and Dr. Randall Lolley assisting with the service. There will be a private graveside service for the family at Westover Memorial Park at a later time. The family will greet friends at 5:00 p.m. on the day of the funeral service in the Rotunda of the Church.
Pallbearers will be William Keith Anderson, Jerry A. Bain, Larry R. Bain, Dr. R. Alan Culpepper, Jerry Hill, and Dr. Franklin E. McPhail. Honorary Pallbearers will be the Crusaders Sunday School Class and the Body of Deacons at First Baptist Church.
Ollie Key was born on August 4, 1920, and lived his childhood years in Tallapoosa, Georgia during the Great Depression where he learned the value of hard work and honest wages. He graduated from the Tallapoosa High School in 1938 and later went to the CCC Camp to develop an employable skill. He became a certified radio operator and enlisted in the US Army Air Force during World War II. Mr. Key served his country in the 157th AACS Squadron in the jungles of Brazil acting as a radio operator to guide the military planes through South America and across the Atlantic Ocean to northern Africa and the European battlefields.
After an honorable discharge as a Staff Sargent from the Army, Mr. Key utilized the GI education bill to enroll at North Georgia College in Dahlonega, Georgia. After two years, he transferred to the University of Georgia where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honorary society. He graduated with a B.B.A. degree from the College of Business Administration and in 1953 became a Certified Public Accountant with the State of Georgia. Later in his career, he was awarded the designation as a Distinguished Practitioner Lecturer with the UGA College of Business Administration.
Mr. Key also graduated from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and pastored Baptist churches in a bi-vocational capacity in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. His most memorable pastorate began in 1970 at the Red Oak Grove Baptist Church in Edgefield, South Carolina where he made life-long friendships that extended far beyond his four years of service there. Later in his life, he served as a Trustee at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for ten years. Since 2000, he and his wife have established a scholarship at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University that annually assists outstanding students entering their senior year.
When the demands of a growing family dictated that he leave the full-time ministry, Mr. Key worked as an agent with the Internal Revenue Service in Columbus, Georgia. He moved to Augusta in 1961 to become the field audit group supervisor for the Augusta, Athens, and Gainesville areas. He served in this capacity for 12 years, and upon his retirement, he received the Albert Gallatin award for meritorious service to the US Department of the Treasury.
Even though Mr. Key was a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1951, he did not actually open his law practice until 1973. He began with a specialty in tax law but eventually developed an extensive social security disability practice where he enjoyed helping people who could not help themselves. He practiced law actively until the time of his death.
Mr. Key met and married his devoted wife, Nell, at the First Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia in 1957. At this church, he was ordained as a deacon, and he continued to serve as a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia after he moved to this area in 1961. He taught Sunday School classes for forty years and served on numerous church committees including the Committee on Committees and the Finance Committee. He eventually earned the designation as Deacon Emeritus in recognition of his many years of active service.
Mr. Key has enhanced the lives of family, friends, clients, colleagues and parishioners for almost ninety-four years. His memory will be cherished.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia.
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com