Henry Grady Wilson Jr.

H. Grady Wilson Jr., born April 18, 1926, died January 31, 2018 in Athens, Georgia.

Born at Emory University Hospital to H. Grady Wilson Sr. of Boston, Georgia, and Anice Spears Wilson of Madison, Georgia, he was raised in Decatur, Georgia, attending Decatur Public Schools, and graduating from Decatur Boys High in 1943.

He was preceded in death by his father, H. Grady Wilson Sr., mother, Anice Spears Wilson, brother, William Lee Wilson, and infant sister, Elizabeth Anice (Beth) Wilson.

Grady served in the United States Army as a sergeant in the South Pacific. Upon his return home from service, he entered the University of Georgia where he graduated in 1949. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

While at UGA, he shared a class with an attractive girl and phoned her house asking to speak to Miss Trussell. Her mother, LaGrange Trussell, having answered, knew a strange boy calling could only be asking for her youngest daughter, Kitty, as her older sisters were already spoken for. Thus began a long and happy relationship with his college sweetheart, Katherine Trussell, to whom he was married in 1950.

In his first employment with Sealtest Southern Dairies, Grady served as Director of Employment and Training, transferring from Tampa, Florida, to Washington D.C., then Charlotte, North Carolina. He thereupon returned to Decatur, and began a twenty-seven-year career with the John Harland Company, retiring as Executive Vice President in charge of Sales and Personnel.

In 1983, he retired to pursue private equity investing, horseback quail hunting and field trials. He also wrote and published two books-"Mule Creek and Leaves of the Tree"-on his mother and father's ancestors, tracing them back to the 1600s and early 1700s, and their arrival in Georgia in the 1800s. His diligent work led to his nomination and membership in the Society of the Cincinnati.

During his lifetime, he pursued several hobbies-collecting fine antiques, raising camellias and racing homing pigeons. He also showed classic Packard automobiles which he entered at Hershey, Pennsylvania, winning Best in Show with two different cars in 1973 and 1974. These were all fleeting fancies compared to his lifelong obsession with hunting dogs, specifically Horseback and Field Trial Pointers and Setters. He won over 150 Placements and 9 Championships as an amateur handler.

Grady and Kitty moved back to "her" Athens in 1996 and Grady became a member of the Athens First Presbyterian Church and Athens Country Club.

Grady is survived by: his wife of sixty-seven years, Katherine (Kitty) Trussell Wilson; sons, Brett (Emily) of Leslie, Georgia, Keith (Therese) of Athens and Wade (Barbara) of Atlanta; grandchildren, Dylan Wilson of Savannah, Julia Wilson Mills (Jon) of Watkinsville, Henry Wilson (Caitlyn) of Atlanta, Alex Wilson and Emily Wilson of New York City, Kade Wilson, Spears Wilson and Sarah Cox of Leslie; great-grandchildren, Everett Mills and Claiborne Mills of Watkinsville.

The family would like to thank all caretakers ministering to Grady, particularly Denise Heaton and Denise "Neasie" Sims.

A private graveside service will be held at the Decatur Cemetery, Church Street, Decatur, Georgia.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.