Robert "Jack" Tatum

Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest announces the death of Reverend Robert "Jack" Tatum who died at his residence at Magnolia Hill Assisted Living in Demorest on Friday May 22, 2009.


Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday, May 24, 2009 at the Bethlemen Baptist Church with Reverend Tommy Stowe and Reverend Furman Lewis conducting the service. Following the memorial service, the remains will be placed in the church cemetery.


Robert Jackson Tatum was born March 26, 1917 in Palmetto, Georgia to the late Robert D. and Florence Jackson Tatum. He was married to the late Martha Edna Tomlinson; and their close relationship ended with her death in 2007.


Reverend Tatum was a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia; and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He was ordained as a Baptist minister by the Rahmah Baptist Church in Palmetto in 1937.



Churches served by Mr. Tatum include the Clarkesville Baptist Church, Clarkesville, Georgia; First Baptist Church of Cornelia, Georgia; First Baptist Church of Buford, Georgia; Prince Avenue Baptist Church of Athens, Georgia, and the Crawford Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia.


Following his retirement, he served as Interim pastor of several churches in Habersham and Stephen counties.


During World War II, Mr. Tatum served as a United States Army Chaplain in the European Theater. Following the war, he served in the United States Army Reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.


In addition to his ministerial creer, Mr. Tatum was known in the Southeast as an avid collector of rare and historical books.


Survivors include Mr. Tatum's niece, Jane T Washington of Newnan and his nephew, David E. Tatum, Jr., both of Palmetto, Georgia.


Memorial gifts may be made to the Georgia Baptist Children's Home, Post Office Box 329, Palmetto, GA 30268 or online at www.gbchfm.org


Those wishing to express condolences to the Tatum Family may do so by visiting www.whitfieldfuneralhomes.com


Arrangements are in the care of Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest, Georgia.


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