Gerry was born in Atlanta on October 7, 1938, to Pope and Grace Chatham.
He did not easily tire. He spent the last few years of his life serving faithfully as an elder at his local church, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, coaching basketball camps and leagues, and spending precious time with his grandchildren. Chatham graduated from Bass High, played varsity baseball at Georgia Tech, and finished a degree in journalism at Georgia State. He cut his teeth in the industry at The Atlanta Journal when the late Furman Bisher hired him to be a sportswriter in 1959. Bisher’s staff was one of the nation’s best, and Chatham would go on to keep the “Bisher’s Boys” in contact for many years. In 1962, Chatham graduated from the U.S. Navy flight School as a navigator. He flew for five years, attaining the rank of lieutenant. Most of his career was spent in Atlanta’s media business. In 1984, Gerry founded Inside Publishing, the first Atlanta publishing company to go digital. Inside published editions for Cobb and Gwinnett Counties, Northside Atlanta, and Buckhead. Chatham worked hard, achieved much, and positively touched the lives of many in and out of Atlanta. He enjoyed golf and played it often. He saw it as an opportunity to share time and words with friends he dearly loved. He even organized games to introduce men he thought should know one another. Chatham loved connecting people and encouraged fellowship. The final days of life especially, as he battled Leukemia, Chatham treated each day as a gift from God. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Carolyn Hooks Chatham, sons and daughters-in-law Scott W. and Darlene Chatham, of Atlanta, and Jeb W. and Rhonda Chatham, of Ellijay, GA, and grandchildren Erin, Abi, Laurel Lee, and Joe, many family members from the Hooks side, and many more brothers and sisters in Christ. A memorial service will be held Monday, March 11, 2013 at 1:00 pm at the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 850 Mt. Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs, GA, 30327, (404) 255-3133 with Dr. Aaron Menikoff officiating. A reception will follow at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. Arrangements by H.M. Patterson and Son, Canton Hill Chapel.
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