Michael Nelson Weathersby

Michael Nelson Weathersby died on November 3, 2022 from heart complications caused by a bacterial infection. He spent his last hours at Emory Hospital surrounded by family members who loved him immeasurably.

Mike was born in Columbus, Georgia on October 20, 1956. His parents were Rev. Nelson Jennings Weathersby (1923-2009) and Erma Spann Weathersby (1929-2013), a Southern Baptist minister and his eminent wife. Nelson served many churches as a pastor, so Mike and his siblings’ early lives were defined by frequent moves between towns in southwest Georgia, as well as a tenure at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mike was, from first to last, a preacher’s son: quick-witted, outgoing, and ungovernable.

He began his career as a produce manager at the Piggly Wiggly in Abbeville, Alabama and ended it as the founding partner of an Atlanta law firm. His secondary education began when he entered the military and was invited to study at the Defense Language Institute (“DLI”) in Monterey Bay, California. He graduated from the DLI in 1975 with highest honors before completing his service in the Air Force. After serving, Mike attended Georgia Southwestern and then the University of Georgia School of Law, from which he graduated cum laude in 1984. He practiced law in Atlanta for several years before founding the law firm Evert & Weathersby (now Evert Weathersby Houff) with his law partner C. Michael Evert, Jr. During his long career, Mike developed a reputation as a sharp trial lawyer, and he tackled his law practice with skill and passion.

Mike had so many interests he barely had time to sleep. He was a first-rate gourmand, no more a stranger to the pages of the Michelin Guide than to the dining rooms of Atlanta’s burgeoning food scene, where he developed “regular” status. Mike loved wine, especially Bordeaux and white Burgundy, and he was a proud Chevalier of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. His long run as a cigar aficionado was ended—sadly but sagely—by his dauntless wife, Risë. Mike also enjoyed wing shooting, especially quail, and especially in his beloved southwest Georgia. Mike was a rabid fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, but he looked with empathy upon fans of lesser programs in such places as Gainesville, Columbia, Knoxville, and Tuscaloosa.

Mike was an intrepid world traveler. The start of his military service marked his first plane trip, but by the end of his life, he and Risë had visited places as diverse and far-flung as Chile, Ireland, Morocco, Tanzania, Rajasthan, Bhutan, Thailand, China, Russia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Easter Island, to name just a few. Above all foreign places, Mike dearly loved the country of Turkey, whose language he spoke fluently, and whose people he held in special regard.

Mike was a Christian, and his faith was animated by a Presbyterian conviction in the grace of a living God. Following the example of his savior, Mike loved saints and sinners alike, and he was a sharp thorn in the side of Pharisees. He attended Intown Presbyterian Church, All Souls Fellowship, and N. Ave. Presbyterian Church, serving at various junctures as elder, ad hoc sermon commentator, and hymn enthusiast. Christ’s Gospel was Mike’s lodestar, and his life shone, however imperfectly, with the reflection of its light.

Mike loved his family with a boundless love. As a sibling to his brother and sister, he was an anchor of stability, support, and humor—a reliable source of examples both good and bad, always freely given. As a father to his three sons, he was habitually indulgent, necessarily patient, and relentlessly proud. As a husband to his wife, he was a perennial challenge, a staunch admirer, and a best friend.

Mike’s family feels the weight of his death with a grief exceeded only by the gratitude they feel for the gift of his life. The words have not been invented that can measure that grief, or that gratitude. Mike’s family loves and misses him so, so much.

Mike leaves behind him two beloved siblings, Jean Lanier (m. Charles Lanier) and Marvin Thomas (m. Angie née Dougherty); two fantastic grandsons, Maxwell James and Malcolm John; and three superlative, genteel, and learned sons, James Michael (m. Sara née Ray), Alexander Hegwood, and John Thomas. He is also survived by his matchless wife, the partner and love of his life, Risë née Hegwood.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Mike’s life at North Avenue Presbyterian Church on November 19, 2022 at 10 o’clock in the morning. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

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