Stephen Philip Tolleson

Stephen Tolleson, age 74, passed away on February 2nd 2022. His generosity, sense of humor, and commitment to family were evident in all that he did. We will miss him greatly.

The funeral will be held on Monday February 7th 2022 at H.M. Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel in Atlanta, Georgia: 1030am to 1145am Visitation and 1145am to 1230pm Prayer Service with Deacon Bill McCarthy of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Burial will immediately follow at Arlington Memorial Cemetery.

Stephen, son of Robert and Mary Tolleson, grew up and lived most of his life in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second youngest of four boys with his brothers Bob, Pat, and Jay. All four boys shared the Tolleson sense of mischief so it was a lively home.

He graduated in 1969 from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial Engineering, and was a loyal fan of the Ramblin' Wreck. He was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity and, later in life, he established a scholarship to Georgia Tech for Chi Phi members. He made many lifelong friends during his college days.

Stephen continued his education by earning a Masters in Business from UNC at Greensboro, and later in life made a substantial educational gift to the school. In lieu of military service, he worked on a classified defense project during the Vietnam War. He went on to a successful career in building management at BellSouth / AT&T.

Stephen had two children, Brian and Amanda, and five grandchildren, Ella, Emilie, Savannah, Beau and Chloe. He was a loving, generous father that passed down life lessons on the importance of education, smart financial planning and, of course, the power of humor in both happy and sad times. He doted on his grandchildren and gifted generously to their 529 education savings plans.

Stephen loved visiting the beach and in his younger days was an avid skier both on water and snow. He owned a beachside condo at Gulf Shores, Alabama. He took Brian and Amanda every year as they were growing up, and they have many happy memories with their dad of jumping into waves, back rides in the pool and fierce mini golf battles.

Dedicated to the Catholic Church, he devoted many hours of volunteer service, especially with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul where he was a volunteer caseworker distributing rent checks to those in need. After he retired, he volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.

We remember Stephen with love, and cherish the many happy memories. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Stephen to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia via their website: www.svdpgeorgia.org.

The family of Stephen thanks Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region for their support and empathy during end of life care.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hmpattersonOglethorpe.com for the Tolleson family.