John Gay

GAY III, John Will

September 22, 1932 -

September 25, 2025

John W. Gay III died on September 25, 2025 at Canterbury Court in Atlanta after a short illness. He was 93. John was a textile manufacturer and a banker. He was a devoted husband to Martha, his wife of 67 years, and a supportive and loving father to his children. He found great pleasure in spending time with his children and grandchildren. John loved golf, tennis, choral singing, books, travel, crossword puzzles, and corny jokes. He was valued by all who knew him as a friendly, steady, and kind soul. As his son-in-law, Neil Schemm, said, "Johnny was one of the few truly good people I have ever known."

John ("Johnny" to his family and childhood friends) was born in Scottsboro, AL on September 22, 1932 to John Will Gay, Jr. and Maurine Gipson Gay. He was the fifth generation of the Gay family to live in Jackson County in northeast Alabama. He graduated from Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN in 1950, where he excelled as a student and an athlete. He lettered in soccer and tennis, sang in the glee club, and was Treasurer of the Honor Council.

John majored in Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech and graduated in 1954. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and sang in the Georgia Tech Glee Club as well as the "Fowler Street Five," a fraternity barbershop quintet. His senior year he was elected Vice President of Alpha Pi Mu, the national honorary industrial engineering society, and was named Cadet Colonel and Wing Commander of the Air Force ROTC.

During his freshman year, John went on a double date with a fraternity brother whose date was Martha Kennedy, a junior at North Fulton High School. For John it was literally love at first sight – with Martha, not his date of the evening. John and Martha commenced a courtship that lasted 5 ½ years until she finished college. They were married at Peachtree Road Methodist Church in Atlanta in 1956 and enjoyed 67 wonderful years together until Martha's death on October 1, 2023.

Following graduation from Tech, John became a partner in Alabama Bedspread Co., a manufacturer of chenille bedspreads founded by his father and grandfather during the Great Depression. In 1955 he was called to active duty in the US Air Force and served two years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, OH. Martha joined him there in 1956 after their wedding. Their daughter, Sharon, was born in 1957. After his service commitment ended, John and Martha returned to Scottsboro, where he resumed his manufacturing career and began 56 years of service on the board of First National Bank, a community bank founded in 1900 by his grandfather John Will Gay, Sr. John and Martha's son, Alan, was born in 1959.

In the early 1960s, John shifted the manufacturing product line of the bedspread company to the burgeoning business of tufted rugs. He became President of renamed Gay-Tred Mills, Inc., which produced bath and kitchen rugs for large national retailers such as Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney. Gay-Tred also manufactured coordinating bath rugs for the Ralph Lauren Home towel line. The business was sold to J.P. Stevens in 1983. The following year, John assumed the role of Chairman of First National Bank upon the death of his father. Under John's leadership, a holding company, FNB Bancshares, was formed. The bank expanded into 17 branches in 4 markets. John turned over the chair role to Alan in 2008 but remained on the board until his retirement in 2014. In 2021 the bank was sold to Cadence Bank.

In addition to their home in Scottsboro, John and Martha maintained a condominium in Atlanta and a family beach house on St. Simons Island. In 2012, they relocated to Atlanta full time to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They moved to Canterbury Court, a continuing care retirement community in Atlanta, in 2016. As Martha's health declined, she moved into the skilled nursing wing. John remained in their independent living apartment until he likewise moved to the nursing wing two weeks before he died.

John was active in civic affairs and textile manufacturing and banking organizations. He served several terms on the board of CRI, the trade association for the carpet and rug industry, including two terms as president of the rug division. One of his most gratifying local activities was his leadership role in creating the IMPACT Learning Center in the early 1990s to address workforce development needs and improve the high school graduation rate in Jackson County. The organization helped reduce the high school dropout rate by half and continues to provide essential services today. Martha and John were active members of Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Scottsboro and later joined Northwest Presbyterian when they moved to Atlanta. Upon moving to Canterbury Court, he joined the Residents' Council finance committee and the Choristers.

John enjoyed playing tennis and was an avid golfer. When he moved to Atlanta, he joined Indian Hills Country Club because of their robust senior golfers' program. He deeply valued those years of golf and fellowship. He made the fourth hole in one of his life on April 30, and was playing several days a week until July.

John had a clear tenor voice and enjoyed choral singing - from his Baylor and Tech glee club days to church choirs to the Choristers at Canterbury Court. He was an enthusiastic reader, frequently sharing and discussing books with Sharon and Alan. He loved crossword and jigsaw puzzles and worked the daily crossword puzzle until a week before he died. John and Martha traveled widely and enjoyed many happy times at the beach house with family and friends. He supported and encouraged Sharon and Alan in their careers and followed their progress with great pride.

In addition to Martha, John was predeceased by his parents, John Will and Maurine Gay; his sister, Carolyn Gay Ponsford; his brothers-in-law, John Ponsford and Clyde Kennedy; and his nephews, Jack Ponsford and Rick Ponsford. He is survived by his children, Sharon Gay (Neil Schemm) and Alan Gay (Kelly) of Atlanta; his grandchildren, Chandler Gay (Maddi). of Miami and Hannah Gay, of New York City; his sister-in-law, Betty Lee Kennedy, of Sandy Springs; and many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, 1:00 PM at Northwest Presbyterian Church, 4300 Northside Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30327. Memorial gifts may be made to Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 315 S. Kyle St., Scottsboro, AL 35768; Northwest Presbyterian Church, https://www.northwestpresbyterianchurch.org/; or Canterbury Court https://www.canterburycourt.org/charitable-giving/