Randy Wash

News Obituary Article

ATLANTA: Randy Wash, 61, enjoyed trips to coast

By HOLLY CRENSHAW

Randy Wash was a founding member of the Oglethorpe Natural History and Preservation Society, a highfalutin-sounding organization whose fancy Web site includes a page of flowery oratory.

But don't be fooled by the mock-serious name. The Society was merely an outlet for Mr. Wash and his friends to do what they loved best: camp, cook out and explore the pristine corners of Georgia's natural world.

"The way it started was, we wanted to be able to go camping on Sapelo Island and you had to be an organized group to do that, so we organized ourselves," said his wife, Betsy Wash of Atlanta.

As best she can remember, someone pulled the name out of the air on their first excursion in 1988.

"And," she said, "there was only one rule for our society: There are no rules."

Sidney Durand Wash Jr., 61, died of cardiac arrest Monday at his Atlanta residence. The body was cremated. The memorial service is 11 a.m. today at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill, is in charge of arrangements.

"Randy didn't take himself too seriously or any of us too seriously, and I think that's one of the things we all enjoyed about him," said his friend Laughlin McDonald of Atlanta.

From its original six members, Mr. Wash helped the group grow to about 30 regulars who trekked to Sapelo Island, Ossabaw Island, Cumberland Island and other outposts several times a year.

He loved snapping photos of the unspoiled coastline and listening to Society members play bluegrass on their fiddles, banjos and guitars.

"He only played air guitar, but he loved all kinds of music and had this joyful, creative approach to life," his wife said.

Mainly, that came out in his passion for cooking.

"Listen, I've got to learn how to cook," his wife said. "Randy did all the cooking. He was a fabulous cook and could do anything, especially as a pastry chef. He did a pie crust that was to die for."

"One thing about the Society is that we always eat very well," said his stepson, Peter Leifermann of Homestead, Fla. "Our trips were the perfect outlet for his love of photography and food and nature."

The Tampa native earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Georgia in the late 1960s. From 1976 to 2003, he worked for the state of Georgia investigating Medicaid fraud and abuse cases.

"It was like solving a puzzle," his wife said, "and he liked investigating and researching."

"He definitely was not a watcher of TV," Mr. McDonald said. "He was an avid reader and was always talking about what book he'd just finished."

Last year, Mr. Wash joined the Buckhead Men's Garden Club, mainly to gain access to its greenhouse, his wife said.

"That way, he could start his seeds early and I didn't have to have them on my kitchen counter," she said. All kinds of vegetables from his garden, from hot peppers to collard greens, found their way into his dishes.

"Randy was a very good cook," Mr. McDonald said, "and he loved sharing his interest in cooking and in drinking the very good wine that went along with it."

"Randy's favorite phrase was, 'That's wonderful,' and I think there was so much in life that he found wonderful. If you had to isolate his most used word, I think that would be it."

Other survivors include two daughters, CeCe Wash of Knightdale, N.C., and Ashley Wash-Martin of Madagascar; a step-daughter, Alexis Leifermann of Atlanta; a brother, Joseph Wash of Tampa; and two step-granddaughters.

© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution