Bill Kokaly, the longest serving member of Rep. Doug Collins' Congressional staff, died last week. He was 63.
Working as Collins' senior field representative, Kokaly was a familiar face at events around Northeast Georgia, working on behalf of the congressman.
Collins remembered Kokaly as a longtime friend who has supported him though every phase of his life.
"Bill has been with me from the beginning of my first campaign for Congress and has been a part of my staff - and more importantly, a part of my family - ever since," Collins said. "His amazing dedication to the work of the 9th District and to his family will never be replaced. He was a man of passion and strength, which is growing rare in these times."
A retired master sergeant who served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, Kokaly took great pride working with young men and women who wanted to apply to one of the four military academies.
"Bill and I both shared a love of, as Bill would put it, our Air Force," Collins said. "The old master sergeant never left his service behind. There is one group this morning that will miss Mr. Bill as much as I do, and that is all of the students that he helped get accepted to the service academies. He loved each and every one of those kids and followed their careers just like a proud parent."
Kokaly was a native of Joliet, Illinois. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Memorial Park Funeral Home North Riverside Chapel..
