Mr. Bryan Durham

"I am excited. This is going to be a wonderful year!" These were our father's words while recovering from surgery in mid-March. His excitement became reality on April 14, 2015, when after many years of blindness, we know he once again saw his much-loved wife of 59 years, Addie Nelle Tingle Durham. Bryan E. Durham was born at home on December 1, 1923, to Robert Martin Durham and Mae Amarilla Bryan Durham in the old city of Riverside, Georgia, near what is now Vinings. One of Bryan’s favorite memories was being in the Junior ROTC at Russell High School in East Point, Georgia, and serving in an honor guard at the Atlanta airport when Clark Gable and Carole Lombard came to town for the premier of Gone With the Wind in 1939. At the time he said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. At age 17 Bryan began working at Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company with a starting pay of $16 per week. A short time later he met Nelle Tingle, a Southern Bell Switchboard operator, who would become his wife. World War II interrupted their courtship when Bryan joined the US Army and served 19 months in the Pacific Theater with the 7th Army Air Force Radio Squadron Mobile. While on leave in April 1944, he and Nelle were married by his grandfather in his grandparents’ Techwood Homes apartment. After the war he returned to Southern Bell and a huge pay increase to $40 per week! After 43 years (and only two sick days!), Bryan retired from the company he dearly loved. Those who knew and loved Bryan have fond memories of many stories of his Southern Bell years. He had an incredible recall of details of what supervisor on what night of the week in which year called him to go to a certain location to deal with a “trouble." The stories and details never varied as he told and retold them with perfect clarity. Bryan and Nelle built their first house in the Cascade Heights section of Atlanta with the help of both of their fathers, a tradition he passed along when he helped his own children build their homes. They were part of the first wave of young couples who put their lives on hold for WWII and began to have families and build homes in the new subdivisions of the early 1950s. After 20 years in their first home then 20 more in Marietta, they settled in what he considered the perfect home, a farm in Bowdon, Georgia. Through the years they developed many friends in the local area. He continued to care for and nurse Nelle through her battle with multiple sclerosis until she died in 2003. His joy from “Hidden Hollow” was seen in his attempts at raising livestock -- chickens who laid green eggs, pygmy pigs, goats (until one gored him in the leg), a horse, many dogs and cats, cattle, and six donkeys. He delighted in sharing stories of their country life with all who would listen. Bryan developed macular degeneration in the mid 1990s, and eventually lost his sight. Always an avid reader, he quickly adapted to listening to recorded books provided for the visually impaired by the Library of Congress. These books became the source of new stories to tell. The three defining loves of Bryan’s life were his family, his country and Southern Bell. As his family, we will always be grateful for the values he passed along to three generations: the importance of family, hard work, saving money, and finding joy in such simple pleasures as reading and sharing stories about Southern Bell, life in the Depression and serving in WWII. As a child of the Depression he was very frugal and spent his money wisely. For example, as every family member knew, he was reluctant to pay more than $.39 a pound for bananas. In addition to his parents and wife, Bryan was also preceded in death by two sisters, Kathryn Durham Brown and infant Sarah Marie Durham. Bryan is survived by daughter Susan Little, son-in-law Jim of Summerville, Georgia; grandsons Bryan Little and wife Shelia of Cleveland, North Carolina; Matt Little, wife Lisa and great-grandchildren Malia and Michael of Summerville, Georgia; son Michael Durham, daughter-in-law Linda and grandchildren Anna and Chris of Bowdon, Georgia; daughter Janet Fails, son-in-law Charles, and grandchildren Chas and Samantha of Marietta, Georgia; sister Bobbie Ruth Robinson of Snellville. Georgia; sister-in-law Betty T. Dunn of Woodville, Georgia; numerous nieces and nephews; dear childhood friend since age six, Henry Greene of Jacksonville, Florida; beloved friend and fellow telephone-company retiree, Bob Boyd of Dallas, Georgia. The family is so very grateful to the entire village of caregivers who loved and supported our father and us in his final years: extended family, friends, community members, medical professionals, and in-home caregivers. Thank you. The family will receive friends at Rainwater Funeral Home on April 15, 2015 from 4:00-6:00 P.M. Funeral services will be held on Thursday April 16, 2015 at 1:00 at Bowdon First United Methodist Church Wedowee Street, Bowdon, GA 30108. Mr. Durham will lie in state from 12:00 until the funeral hour. Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the Food Ministry Program at Tyus Baptist Church, 4514 Tyus Carrollton Road Carrollton, GA 30117. This program provided a hot meal and kind visitor to Daddy monthly for a number of years, or to another elder-support organization you admire.

Mr. Bryan Durham

December 1, 1923 - April 14, 2015

Sympathy Gifts

What We Do

About Us

Grief & Healing

Resources

Plan Ahead

Obituaries

Contact Information

Mr. Bryan Durham

December 1, 1923 - April 14, 2015

Sympathy Gifts

What We Do

About Us

Grief & Healing

Resources

Plan Ahead

Obituaries

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support