Carey Bradford Wickland

Carey Bradford Wickland, 76, passed away in Atlanta on November 24, 2017. Born in Evanston, IL, he was the son of Phyllis and Rex Wickland of Evanston. He was married for 54 years to Sally Wickland, with whom he built a life and had a son and daughter. Carey’s work ethic started early, with a paper route at age seven, and he continued to work hard as a caddy throughout high school. The first in his family to attend college, he graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, with a degree in economics. While at Lawrence, he was a star golfer and football player, earning a Little All-American Honorable Mention, and was a member of ROTC and Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Carey was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, but given a year’s deferment to attend graduate school at Emory University, where he received his MBA and graduated near the top of his class. He served in the Air Force in San Angelo, TX, and Iraklion, Crete, as base finance officer, retiring as a Captain. He returned to civilian life as a loan officer at First National Bank of Atlanta and had a long career, eventually leading the company’s real estate efforts as Executive Vice President. A job opportunity as President of Lomas Management, Inc. led to a move to Dallas, TX in 1982. His greatest joy in his many years working at Lomas was the camaraderie of mentoring many young professionals who went on to successful careers. Carey retired in 1996, and together he and Sally build a lake house at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, where they hosted many wonderful family gatherings and dinner parties. An active participant and President of the Reynolds Plantation Men’s Golf Association, Carey loved to share his love of the game with anyone willing to play. He also proudly displayed all twelve of his holes in one at Reynolds. He was an Elder at Madison Presbyterian Church and at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Carey had a magnetic personality, and he loved connecting with everyone from strangers to close friends and family. Perhaps inherited from his Irish grandfather, he had the gift of gab, and relished telling favorite stories, some of which grew to epic proportions over the years. Despite relatively little formal training, Carey figured it out based on his sharp mind, tireless work ethic and ability to charm and out-negotiate anyone else in the room. He had an athlete’s grace on the dance floor, and could jerry rig almost anything with copious amounts of duct tape. He was a man of many talents with a big heart, which was never on more display than in his interactions with his five grandchildren who he loved to play and watch sports with, take on boat rides and eat popsicles. Carey is survived by his spouse, Sally Rosebush Wickland; his daughter, Ellie Sullivan; his son, Mitch Wickland; his grandchildren, Sarah Sullivan, Walton Sullivan, Wyly Wickland, Mac Wickland and James David Wickland; his brother, Steven Wickland; sister, Paige Wickland; his son-in-law Dave Sullivan; and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Wickland. The Celebration of Life for Carey will be held on Monday, December 11, 2017 at 3:00 pm in the Chapel of Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta 30327. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Presbyterian Homes of Georgia, Box 957267, Duluth, GA, 30095.