Jack B. Key Jr.

1927 - 2016

Jack B.
Key, Jr.
November 11, 1927-
February 7, 2016
Columbus, GA- Jack Botts Key, Jr., passed away in his hometown of Columbus, Georgia on February 7, 2016. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at St. Paul United Methodist Church. The Reverend Dr. P. Shane Green and the Reverend Dr. Edwin M. Cooper will officiate. A visitation will follow the service in the church fellowship hall where family will greet friends. A private committal service will be held prior to the 2:00 P.M. church service.
Born in Columbus on November 11, 1927 the son of Jack Botts Key and Jeanette Williams Key, he attended Wynnton School, Columbus High School, Sewanee Military Academy, and Auburn University. A member of the SAE Fraternity, he graduated from Auburn with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1950. Jack Key and Erwin Davidson, both Auburn graduates, were wed in Bay Minette, Alabama on August 7, 1954.
Jack was a dedicated businessman and talented amateur golfer. His artistry in woodworking is highlighted by a collection of intricate bowls crafted from exotic woods, featured in several museums. His various inventions include a portable incline exercise stand, innovative shovel and a patented golf putter grip. He was awarded the Golden Hammer from Popular Mechanics magazine for a staircase he designed and built by hand.
Jack enjoyed an accomplished business career. Past President of Valley Components, Inc. and K & C Construction Company, Inc., he was also the former Vice President of Valley Fir and Redwood Company, Inc. A registered professional engineer, he was President of the Georgia Component Manufacturing Association, Inc.
Jack served as President of many local organizations, including the Historic Columbus Foundation, the Rotary Club of Columbus, the Country Club of Columbus, the North Columbus Boys Cub, and the East Columbus Boys Club. He was past Chairman of the Columbus Fire Department, the Columbus Board of Water Commissioners, and the Board of Stewards at St. Paul United Methodist Church. A life long member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Jack and Erwin Key were members of the Miller-Wilson Sunday School Class at St. Paul United Methodist Church for over 60 years.
An avid runner in the Lake Bottom area for many years, Jack completed the Boston Marathon in 1982. As a sports enthusiast and supporter, he participated in weight lifting, archery, volleyball, and coached Peach Little League baseball. He was also a devoted Auburn football fan.
Jack Key began playing golf as a young boy, and was later the Captain of the Auburn University Golf Team for four years. He established the Jack Key Golf Teaching Facility at Auburn University, dedicated in 2008, a state of the art teaching center. WAR EAGLE! Throughout his amateur career, Jack won 46 tournaments. In 1949 and 1961 he was the Georgia Amateur Champion, and won the Southeastern Amateur Championship in 1949 and 1968.
Jack was a co-founder of the Fred Haskins Commission, which presents the annual Haskins Award, considered the Heisman Trophy of golf, to the most outstanding U.S. Collegiate male golfer of the year. He was a member of the 1960 International 4 Man Team Champions, and an inductee in the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
Jack B. Key, Jr. is survived by his loving wife, Erwin Davidson Key; his brother and fellow golfer, James W. Key of Columbus and his wife, Ann Greene Key; his children, Susan Key Clark of Lake Harding, AL, Jack B. Key, III of Columbus and his wife, Libbie Powell Key, and Loulie Key Scharf of Wilmington, NC and her husband, Matt Scharf; his grandchildren, Jack Botts Key, IV, Lily Caitlyn Clark, Sally McDuffie Key, Landon Key Scharf, and Berkeley Erwin Scharf; and many beloved cousins and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the St. Paul United Methodist Church or to the John B. Amos Cancer Center.