Obituaries: Services today for former Rome banker William Primm, Notices for Rev. Harvey Bowman, Willie “Joe” Henderson.

William Berry Primm- December 22, 1921-March 12, 2015

WILLIAM BERRY PRIMM, SON OF JOSEPH PARKS PRIMM AND VELMA MAXWELL PRIMM, WAS BORN IN IN ROME, GEORGIA, ON DECEMBER 22, 1921. HE ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ROME AND GRADUATED WITH HONORS IN 1938, ALSO PARTICIPATED IN FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL.

HE CONTINUED HIS EDUCATION AT WAKE FOREST COLLEGE GRADUATING IN 1943 WITH HIGH HONORS, EARNING A PHI BETA KAPPA KEY ALONG WITH A OMICRON DELTA KAPPA KEY. HE WAS VERY ACTIVE IN COLLEGE ACTIVITIES BEING SPORTS EDITOR AND THEN EDITOR OF THE COLLEGE NEWSPAPER, VICE PRESIDENT OF KAPPA SIGMA FRATERNITY, PRESIDENT OF THE LETTERMANS CLUB, PRESIDENT OF THE SENIOR CLASS, AND EARNED THREE LETTERS AS THE SECOND BASEMAN FOR THE DEMON DEACONS BASEBALL TEAM. AT GRADUATION HE WAS AWARDED THE HUBERT ROYSTER MEDAL FOR PROFICIENCY IN SCHOLARSHIP AND ATHLETICS. AFTER GRADUATION HE IMMEDIATELY ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE WITH THE FIRST ARMY IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER FOR 2 ½ YEARS. MR. PRIMM SPENT HIS ENTIRE BUSINESS CAREER OF 46 YEARS WITH HOME FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, WHICH LATER BECAME HOME FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK OF ROME. HE SERVED AS SECRETARY-TREASURER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AND PRESIDENT AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND WITNESSED THE GROWTH OF THE INSTITUTION OVER THE YEARS, REACHING $192 MILLION IN ASSETS WHEN HE RETIRED IN 1992.

MR. PRIMM WAS ACTIVE IN THE CIVIC LIFE OF OUR COMMUNITY. HE SERVED 23 YEARS AS A MEMBER OF THE ROME CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION, THE LAST 13 YEARS AS CHAIRMAN. HE ALSO SERVED ON PRESIDENT NIXONS EDUCATION COMMISSION FOR GEORGIA DURING THE TIME OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UNTIL HIS DEATH HE WAS THE OLDEST MEMBER OF THE ROME KIWANIS CLUB, HAVING SERVED AS SECRETARY-TREASURER, VICE PRESIDENT AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. IN 1954 HE RECEIVED THE “YOUNG MAN OF THE YEAR” AWARD FROM THE ROME JAYCEES. HE WAS A LONG-TIME MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF ROME AND FLOYD COUNTY, SERVED AS VICE-PRESIDENT AND ON NUMEROUS COMMITTEES. HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ROME AND FLOYD COUNTY, WHICH PURCHASED THE PROPERTY FOR THE FLOYD COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK.

MR. PRIMM WAS A LIFE LONG MEMBER OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ROME, STARTED ATTENDING THAT CHURCH WHEN HE WAS FOUR YEARS OF AGE, AND HAS SERVED IN MANY CAPACITIES. A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER FOR OVER 50 YEARS, HE ALSO SERVED AS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, A DEACON AND ELDER AND LIFE ELDER. FOR 18 YEARS HE SERVED AS CLERK OF THE SESSION (ELDERS). HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE FOR HARDY CHAPEL, AND CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER. THESE FUNDS WERE RAISED AND COLLECTED BY THE TIME THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED, THUS ASSURING A DEBT FREE BUILDING.

SPENDING 26 YEARS AS A FOOTBALL REFEREE IN THE NORTHWEST GEORGIA FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION, MR. PRIMM NOT ONLY OFFICIATED DURING THE SEASON, BUT ALSO OFFICIATED PLAY-OFF GAMES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

MR. PRIMM WAS BLESSED WITH THREE DAUGHTERS WHO SURVIVE HIM, MRS. CLAIRE P. CLOWDUS, MRS. REBECCA P. FAINE OF ROME AND MRS. JULIE P. MCCOLLISTER OF ROSWELL, GA; SIX GRANDCHILDREN, MR. TRAVIS WILLIAMS, MRS. BETH NICHOLS, MR. TOM FAINE, MS. REBECCA WILLIAMS, MR. BLAKE MCCOLLISTER AND MS. KATY MCCOLLISTER. IN ADDITION, TWO GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, MS. BRILEY NICHOLS AND MS. BRYNN NICHOLS ALSO SURVIVE.

MR. PRIMM WAS MARRIED TO CHARLOTTE RUBY ROBERTS ON OCTOBER 11, 1947, AND WAS BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL LIFE WITH HER UNTIL HER DEATH ON JANUARY 3, 2000. IN SEPTEMBER 2006, MR. PRIMM MARRIED JACQUELINE TUGGLE MCBRAYER. HE WAS MARRIED TO JACKIE PRIMM UNTIL HER DEATH ON JUNE 22, 2014.

A FUNERAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2015 IN THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ROME AT 2:00 PM WITH DR. JAMES VANDYKE OFFICIATING. THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE FRIENDS FOLLOWING THE SERVICE IN THE KINGDOM HALL. A PRIVATE INTERMENT WILL BE HELD AT SUNSET HILL MEMORIAL GARDENS PRIOR TO SERVICES.

Also today:

Rev. Harvey Jerome Bowman, age 84, of Silver Creek, passed away on Friday, March 13, 2015, in a local medical center. Services Monday.

Willie C. “Joe” Henderson, age 78, of 312 Wilson Ave., Rome, passed away Friday, March 13, 2015 at his residence. Funeral services are incomplete.

Geneva Josephine Terry Mull, age 75, of Rome, passed away Friday morning, March 13, 2015, in a local health care facility. Services Sunday.