Earl James “E.J.” Fender, 88, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Wednesday, December 20, 2017, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held 2 PM, Friday, December 22, 2017, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Rex Johnson officiating. Interment will follow in the Pinetta Cemetery, in Irwin County, Georgia. The family will receive friends Thursday evening, from 6 PM until 8 PM, at the funeral home in Fitzgerald.
Mr. Fender was born June 5, 1929, in Lanier County, Georgia, to the late Isaac & Amanda Jane Bratcher Fender. He was a farmer, logger and assisted with land surveying.
He is survived by two sons: Earl Randall Fender of Tifton and Jesse James Fender of Fitzgerald; two nieces: Barbara Shipes of Fitzgerald and Mary Ross of Fitzgerald; great-niece, Terrie Fowler and her two children: Carolyn Heaton and Seth Fowler, all of Fitzgerald. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Sue Spearman Fender; and three sisters: Ava Nell McGee, Donna Mae Gibbs, and Maudell Gunn.