Kenneth Furman ANTLEY

1947 - 2017

ANTLEY, Kenneth Furman Kenneth "Kent" Furman Antley, age 70, died unexpectedly on Sunday, November 19, 2017, after suffering a massive heart attack. Kent was a man of rare kindness, patience and intelligence with a selfless dedication to his family, community and profession. Kent was the only child of Marion Furman Antley and Beatrice Murray Antley, born on March 31, 1947 in Charlotte, NC. He attended Davidson College and UNC at Chapel Hill. He studied at the University of London as a Fulbright scholar, after which he attained his JD from Duke University. After law school he became one of the first law clerks for the Honorable R. Lanier Anderson, Judge of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Macon, GA. After his two-year clerkship he taught at Mercer Law School for four years. In 1985 Kent entered private practice as a corporate attorney in Atlanta at the law firm that became Branch, Pike and Ganz, where he became the 10th attorney and in five years was a made partner. In 1990 he married the love of his life, Barbara Chandler Evans, whom he met while singing in the Collegium Vocale at Emory University. He became an exemplary stepfather to her two young sons, John and Trey Evans, whom he loved as if they were his own. In 1991 he and Barbara were blessed with a son, Christopher Marion Antley, making their family complete. Kent was a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Justice Project, President of the Business and Technology Alliance, which eventually became the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), and was a founding sponsor of the Atlanta Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum, which later awarded him the first Lifetime Membership Award. He also helped found and was on the board of Tech High School, a charter school. He stayed at Holland and Knight (which acquired Branch, Pike and Ganz) until 1998, then moved to Sutherland Asbill and Brennan. There he focused on tech company start-ups and became recognized as an influential and important figure in Atlanta's technology industry. In 2004 he accepted an offer from Miller & Martin and remained there happily practicing until the time of his death. His long time legal assistant Elaine Anderson was his right hand and he valued her as a dear friend. Kent spent his leisure time actively volunteering his talents in the Chancel Choir at Glenn Memorial UMC where he was Chair of the Board of Trustees at the time of his death. Kent was a committed Christian who always looked out for the underserved and gave tirelessly to his church and his community. He was an avid vegetable gardener who shared his harvest with others, especially his highly coveted pepper jelly. One of the highlights of Kent's week was running with his close group of neighborhood friends. He also completed several marathons. He loved traveling (especially hiking in National Parks), studying German at the Goethe Institute, reading and just being with his beloved wife and children. Kent was an Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 77 where his son Christopher attained rank of Eagle Scout. To those who had the privilege of knowing him, Kent had a certain stillness and gentle patience about him that put everyone at ease. He saw a basic goodness in everyone and believed that every individual deserved to be loved. Kent was full of compassion, acceptance and patience in a way that was truly a gift to everyone around him. Kent was preceded in death by his mother and father, Beatrice and Marion Antley. He is survived by his cherished wife of 27 years Barbara Chandler Antley, their sons Christopher Marion Antley, Trey Evans (Amanda) and John Evans (Olive), cousin Carole Kjellsen (Dick), brother-in-law Randy Chandler (Ruth), nephew Wesley Chandler (Jordan), and niece Anna Chandler. Kent was recently blessed with two granddaughters, Sarah Frances Evans (Trey & Amanda) born on October 18, 2017, and Alice Chandler Evans (John & Olive) born October on 21, 2017, with whom he was entirely smitten. A Celebration of Life will be held in the sanctuary of Glenn Memorial UMC, 1660 N Decatur Rd, Atlanta, GA, the Rev. Dr. P. Alice Rogers officiating, on Tuesday November 28 at 2:00 PM with a reception to follow. Tributes or donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to Glenn Memorial UMC (www.glennumc.org), Georgia Justice Project (www.gjp.org), or Open Hand (www.projectopenhand.org).