After graduating from UGA with a master’s degree in forestry, he found himself living in Marietta employed by the Cobb County Extension Service. It was there that he met and fell in love with a young beauty queen named Peggy Richardson, and the two were married in December of 1963. Not long after, the young couple moved to Zebulon, GA where Bill was transferred with the Extension Service. Although they did not plan to settle in Zebulon, they wound up building a life there for 46 years together until Peggy’s death in 2009. They welcomed a daughter, Julie, in 1970. After Peggy’s death, Bill continued enjoying life in Zebulon where he had been the head of the Farm Bureau Insurance Agency for years before retiring, as well as owning and operating Booth Pecan Company seasonally with Peggy for many years. He loved dealing with real estate and enjoyed serving on the board and holding company of United Bank for many years.
My dad loved to fish and hunt and take his walks in the woods. He instilled a deep love of the outdoors in me, and he delighted in taking his grandsons fishing or hunting or to ride around his farm land. Some of my best memories with him are of fishing on spring and summer afternoons and taking rides out into the country to look at property. I loved walking in the woods with him, because he knew the scientific and common name of every tree and bush, and he usually knew what was wrong with anything that seemed out of order. He had a deep and abiding love for the state of Georgia and appreciated all it has to offer. He loved animals, and they loved him. He was a large man and could seem intimidating, but he had a very kind heart. He enjoyed seeing people do well who had worked hard, especially if they had run into some issues in the past. Underdog stories made him happy. More people than I can count lately have told me how much he helped them in their lives.
It's hard to distill a robust and well-lived life of 87 years down into a few paragraphs. You always feel like you’re leaving something important out, because of course you are. William S. Booth had a good life. He worked incredibly hard to have it from childhood on, but he took time to have fun as well. He and my mother were Jitterbug champions and loved to dance their entire marriage. He enjoyed good food more than just about anyone I know, and he loved Georgia football. He enjoyed bourbon but never too much. He could catch fish when they wouldn’t bite for anyone else. Bluegrass and country music were his favorites, and he loved a good guitar player. He and my mother traveled the globe and passed that love onto me. He helped a lot of people, and he enjoyed doing it. I think in the end that’s the best legacy anyone can leave. One thing is for sure – they don’t make them like Bill Booth anymore.
William Booth is survived by his daughter, Julie, her husband Chris Jordan, grandsons William and Samuel Lamirand, brothers Fernell (Lorna) and Donald (Debbie) Booth, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 11 a.m., in the chapel of Moody-Daniel Funeral Home with Pastor Matt Hinesley officiating.
Friends may visit the family on Friday, September 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the funeral home.
Burial will be held on Monday, September 9, at 1 p.m., in Kennesaw Memorial Park in Marietta.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Baptist Church of Zebulon Building Fund or the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund.
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