Jordan Puryear Short IV, 73, of Tifton passed away peacefully, at his residence, on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. His funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, February 18, 2017, at Tifton’s First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Benjy Varnell and the Rev. Billy Oliver officiating. Mr. Short will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery with the Rev. Robby Paulk officiating. The family will receive friends Saturday, February 18, 2017, from 1:30 p.m. until the hour of the service at Tifton’s First United Methodist Church.
Stephen Reed, Joshua Reed, J.P. Short VI, Jackson Short, Jay Campbell, and Alan Campbell will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the employees of Short & Paulk Supply Company and members of the Ann Smith Searchers Sunday School Class at Tifton’s First United Methodist Church.
Born June 11, 1943 in Tifton, Mr. Short was the son of Jordan Puryear Short III and Virginia Campbell Short. An advocate of scouting, he was the first Eagle Scout in Tifton’s Troup 62. After graduation from Tift County High School he attended the North Avenue Trade School in Atlanta where he was a Rambling Wreck and a member of ATO Fraternity. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1965 he returned to Tifton to join his father in the family business, Short & Paulk Supply Company.
Working alongside his father, JP III, and his son, Jay V, Jordan watched the business grow from a small-town hardware store into a regional supplier of lumber and building materials. Short & Paulk manufactures and supplies building products to both homeowners and builders across South Georgia, Southeast Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. Always active in the building materials industry, Jordan served numerous roles in the Construction Suppliers Association, including Association Chairman and Trustee of the CSA Self Insured Insurance Fund. He also represented CSA on the Georgia Department of Community Affairs State Building Codes Advisory Committee in Atlanta for over 15 years.
Jordan was a member of the Gridiron Society, a Rotarian, former Chair of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, a lifelong supporter of Boy Scouts, and an active member of Tifton’s First United Methodist Church.
Mr. Short is survived by his wife Rosemary Bailey Short of Tifton; one son and daughter-in-law, Jay and Gayle Short of Tifton; one daughter and son-in-law Linda and Rodd Reed of Ashburn; one sister and brother-in-law Loraine and Jack Sullivan of Tifton; and twelve grandchildren: J. P. Short VI, Jackson Short, Stephen Reed, Joshua Reed, Sarah Reed, Anna and Caleb Perry, Emily Reed, Virginia Reed, Laura Reed, Madelyn Reed, Gabe Reed, and Rebekah Reed.
Flowers will be accepted or memorial gifts may be made to the Endowment Fund at First United Methodist Church of Tifton, 107 12th Street West, Tifton, GA 31794; the South Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 1841 Norman Drive, Valdosta, GA 31601; or the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation, P. O. Box 747, Tifton, GA 31793.