KENNESAW — Tony Ham, long-time clerk of court, passed away last Monday, October 7, at his home in Kennesaw. He was 72.
Ham served five terms as Brantley County’s Clerk of Court beginning in 1988 and ending in 2008.
“Tony was just a great man,” recalls current Clerk of Court Debbie Sirmans.
Ham hired Sirmans as a deputy clerk and she served throughout most of his tenure.
“He was not only a great boss, but he was a great friend to me,” said Sirmans. “He taught me a lot about how to treat people. He had excellent recall of names and faces of people and treated everyone the same.”
Ham also served in other capacities in the community including as a loan officer at Southeastern Bank and as a member of the Board of Directors of Okefenoke Rural Electric Membership Corporation (OREMC) from 19942018. He also served as secretary-treasurer during his time on the OREMC board and served on the Board of Directors of the Oglethorpe Power Corporation.
Jimmy Woodard, former county chairman and former REMC director, recalls Ham was “just a great man.”
“He sure was mighty good to me,” he said. Woodard recalls Ham gave him good advice to help Brantley County get its finances back in order when Ham was still a banker and Woodard was chairman.
Later they served together on the REMC board.
“He did everything he could to help me. He was mighty good to me. He was like that with everyone,” Woodard recalled.
“Tony was a favorite son of Brantley County,” said Linda Harris, retired member services representative at OREMC.
Harris says Ham was well liked by everyone. “During his years at Southeastern Bank you could walk in the door most any time and find the lobby full of customers,” said Harris. “Another loan officer could walk out and ask if he could help. ‘We’re waiting for Tony,’ most folks would say. When he served as Clerk of Court, he was always there as a friend, as well as a servant of the courts. Everybody loved Tony.”
Sirmans noted that before Ham hired her in the clerk’s office, he had approved her for her first loan when he worked at the bank.
Ham was a family man and a Christian and applied his faith to all aspects of his life.
He enjoyed farming and the outdoors and especially enjoyed fishing on the Satilla River.
Ham always had a positive outlook and often remarked “every day’s a holiday and every meal’s a feast.”
He and his wife, Cindy, retired and moved to the Atlanta metro area a few years ago to be closer to their sons, Victor and Nicholas, and their families.
Funeral services were held Monday, October 14, in Marietta.
A memorial service for friends and family will be held Sunday, November 24 in Brantley County.
