Allen Cleghorn, 70, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Monday, August 26, 2024, at Central United Methodist Church in Fitzgerald, Georgia, with the Rev. Chris Ramsey officiating. Beth McQuaig McIntyre will give the eulogy. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery, Fitzgerald. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services in the sanctuary on Monday.
Mr. Cleghorn was born April 26, 1954, in Ben Hill County, Georgia, to the late Joseph Clyde & Jessie Howell Cleghorn. He was a 1972 graduate of Fitzgerald High School where he was a standout in wrestling. He placed at State all four years and was the State Champion Heavyweight Wrestler his Senior year. He attended the University of Georgia on a wrestling scholarship. Mr. Cleghorn returned home to Fitzgerald to work alongside his father and brother at Cleghorn & Sons Construction. He was an agent for Liberty National Life Insurance Company and was the owner/operator of Bulldog Pitstop Convenience Store and the Lonesome Dove Restaurant. He also operated Cleghorn Insulation and retired as a sales manager for Liberty National.
Mr. Cleghorn was an avid Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane and Georgia Bulldog fan. He enjoyed hunting and saltwater fishing. He was a member of Central United Methodist Church and taught the Couples & Singles Sunday school class. He was instrumental in starting the wrestling program for the Department of Leisure Services where he coached his sons, nephew, and many others in wrestling. He was a longtime member of the Hurricane Booster Club, cooking for the team as well as tailgating before home games. He loved animals of all kinds and will be greatly missed by those who called him husband, father, Pa, Bulldog, Uncle Monkey and Best Friend.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lynn Bankston Cleghorn of Fitzgerald; children and their spouses: Mac & Kristie Cleghorn of Brunswick, Jason & Melissa Cleghorn of Fitzgerald, and Kristy & Jake Walters of Ocilla; grandchildren: Cam Cleghorn, Whit Walters, Elie Walters, Kip Cleghorn, and Cece Walters; a brother, Larry & Rita Cleghorn; a brother-in-law, Jeff & Stephanie Bankston of Athens; a niece and nephews: Kim & Ricky Layson, Matt & Marci Cleghorn, and Jake & Ellen Bankston. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Brenda Faye Phillips.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to Central United Methodist Church, P O Box 428, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to Fitzgerald Wrestling Club, c/o Roger Merritt, 137 McCrimmon Road, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Georgia, 1160 Forsyth Street, Macon, GA 31201, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.