Lewis SOUTHERN

Family-Placed Death Notice

SOUTHERN, Lewis LEWIS MARTIN SOUTHERN A celebration of life for Lewis Martin Southern, 81 years old, of Smyrna, GA, will be held on Wednesday, March 20th at 5pm, at the Atlanta Free Thought Society Hall, 4775 N. Church Lane SE Smyrna, GA. Lew died on Sunday March 17th at Northside Hospital from complications of cancer. He was born January 14th, 1932, in North Carolina to Charlie Rose Southern and Belle Tysor Southern. Lew grew up in Kernersville, NC, during the depression years and was the oldest of six siblings. He was the first member of his family to attend college, graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1954 with a degree in History. At UNC, he was active in student politics and debate. After graduation, he worked for the NC Democratic Party, but was soon drafted into the US Army and was stationed at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. After discharge, Lew worked as a brick mason, a trade learned from his father, before signing on with the international division of McGraw-Hill. He enjoyed his experiences selling educational films in Africa, the Middle East, and Australia during the 1960s. Lew then moved to Columbus, OH where he helped his brother, Charles, start a commercial construction company. In 1971, Lew moved his family to Atlanta and worked for Learning Corporation of America in their southeast educational film sales division for many years. Outside of work, Lew was an active member of Mensa in Georgia and The Atlanta Free Thought Society with a particular passion for the separation of church and state. He was a lover of classical music, art and history museums, and the trails of the Chattahoochee. He spent most of his retirement gardening, reading non-fiction, working the AJC crossword, telling stories, being outsmarted by squirrels, and making stained glass, wine, and toffee for friends and family. He was preceded in death by two brothers; Charles and Robert Southern; and one sister, Mary Hester. He is survived by one brother, Wayne Southern of Greensboro, NC; one sister, Nancy Morgan of Winston-Salem, NC; his four daughters, Charlotte Arrocha of Ft. Worth, TX, Susannah Southern of Chapel Hill, NC, Scarlet Southern of Taos, NM, and Savannah Southern-Smith of Los Angeles, CA, two grandchildren, Sarah and Tito Arrocha, and his long time friend and companion Hallie Cullen. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Institute of Cancer Research or The Atlanta Free Thought Society or the Chattahoochee Nature Center.