Mr. J. Lamar Reese, Jr. died Saturday, December 10, 2016 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, GA. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 11 AM at Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church in Albany, GA. The family will receive friends for Visitation on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 from 4-6 PM at Kimbrell-Stern. After the service on Wednesday, the family will receive friends at The Shackelford House, following a private family interment.

Mr. Reese was born in Rome, GA on February 14, 1933. He later moved to LaGrange, GA with his family and graduated from LaGrange High School in 1951. Mr. Reese was a 1955 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management. While at Tech, he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity and The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. After graduation he served two years in the US Navy as a lieutenant. In 1957, Mr. Reese moved to Albany, GA where he started Reese Construction Company and was a founding partner of LRA Constructors. Mr. Reese was an active participant in community affairs, serving on various boards and organizations including: the Albany Board of Realtors, the Albany Home Builders Association, the Kiwanis Club, and board member of SunTrust Bank, Darton College, the Hospital Authority of Albany/Dougherty County and the Albany Chamber of Commerce, where he was awarded the Chamber’s first Lifetime Service Award. Mr. Reese gave tirelessly of his time and resources to Albany, Dougherty County and the State of Georgia, having served sixteen years on the Dougherty County Board of Education, including thirteen years as chairman, four years as Chairman of the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners and served as president of the Georgia School Boards Association.  The Dougherty County Board of Education created the Lamar Reese School of the Arts in honor of Mr. Reese’s service to education.  Mr. Reese was a long time, active member and advocate for the Albany YMCA and Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church where he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Administrative Board. Mr. Reese was a devoted alumnus of Georgia Tech, he was a Trustee of the Alumni Association, member of the Scheller School of Management Advisory Board, recipient of the Dean Griffin Community Service Award, and president of the Albany Area Georgia Tech Club. Mr. Reese is survived by his wife, Sandra McKemie Reese; his sons, John Lamar Reese, III (Mary), Marvin McKemie Reese (Holly), Franklin Howard Reese (Loulie); his grandchildren, John Lamar Reese, IV (Jamie), William Metris Reese, Paul McKemie Reese, Jordan Virginia Reese, Marvin McKemie Reese, Jr., Robert Francis Reese, Franklin Howard Reese, Jr., Loulie Eugenia Reese; his great granddaughter, Carlyn Virginia Reese, his sister, Dana Reese Harris and his three nieces.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to: Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, 2200 Dawson Road, Albany, GA 31707, The Albany YMCA, 1701 Gillionville Rd, Albany, GA 31707, or the Sandra and Lamar Reese Scholarship at the Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business to benefit Albany area students attending Georgia Tech, c/o LRA Constructors 2727 Upland Court, Albany, GA 31721. To share a memory with the Reese family or to sign our online guestbook, please visit www.kimbrellstern.com.