Rev. Robert "Jack" Jackson Tatum

Reverend Robert "Jack" Tatum A memorial service will be held for the Reverend Robert "Jack" Tatum at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2009. Rev. Tommy Stowe and Rev. Furman Lewis will conduct the service. Following the memorial service the remains will be placed in the church cemetery. Mr. Tatum died at his residence at Magnolia Hills Assisted Living in Demorest on Friday, May 22, 2009. Robert Jackson Tatum was born March 26, 1917 in Palmetto, Georgia. His parents were the late Robert D. and Florence Jackson Tatum. He was married to the late Martha Edna Tomlinson. Their close relationship ended with her death in 2007. Mr. Tatum was a graduate of Mercer University, Macon, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY. He was ordained as a Baptist minister by the Rahmah Baptist Church, in Palmetto, in 1937. Churches served by Mr. Tatum include the Clarkesville Baptist Church, Clarkesville, GA, First Baptist Church, Cornelia, GA, First Baptist Church, Buford, GA, Prince Avenue Baptist Church, Athens, GA, and the Crawford Avenue Baptist Church, Augusta, GA. Following his retirement he served as Interim pastor of several churches in Habersham and Stephens Counties. During World War II, Mr. Tatum served as a United States Army Chaplain in the European Theater. Following the war, he served in the United States Army Reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. In addition to his ministry career, Mr. Tatum was known in the Southeast as an avid collector of rare and historical books. Mr. Tatum is survived by a niece, Jane T. Washington of Newnan, GA, and a nephew, David E. Tatum, Jr., Palmetto, GA. Memorial gifts may be made to the Georgia Baptist Children's Home, P.O. Box 329, Palmetto, GA 30268 or on-line at www.gbchfm.org. Those wishing to express condolences to the Tatum family may do so by visiting www.whitfieldfuneralhomes.com Arrangements are in the care of Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest, Georgia.