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Thomas Hester | |
Obituary Thomas Tommy Clay Hester - SAVANNAH - Thomas Tommy Clay Hester, age 67, passed away on April 14, 2015 surrounded by his family, friends and loved ones. Born February 28, 1948 and raised in Savannah, Tommy graduated from Savannah High School in 1966 and from Georgia Southern College in 1970. Tommy later graduated from Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University in 1981. Tommy's prolific 45-year career in banking first began with Savannah Bank in 1970, where he was a Commercial Lending Officer. Tommy would go on to serve in many capacities in the local banking community, serving as Senior Credit Officer of Atlantic Bank (1981 - 1983); Senior Credit Officer, then President, of BankSouth, Savannah, (1983 - 1995); President of First Liberty Bank (1995 - 2000); Savannah City Executive of BB&T (2000 - 2002); City President of BankSouth (2002 - 2008); and Division President of The Coastal Bank (2008 - 2011). Since 2011, Tommy served as the City President of Colony Bank. Tommy's involvement in community and professional organizations rivaled his tremendous professional accomplishments. Throughout his career, Tommy was involved in, and served on the boards of, countless organizations, including the Georgia Southern Foundation Board of Trustees, Robert H. Demere Sailing Scholarship Committee, Leukemia Society of America, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation, Small Business Assistance Corporation, Provident Healthcare Systems - Memorial Hospital, Armstrong Atlantic State University Foundation, Community Housing Services Agency, Junior Achievement of Savannah, Historic Savannah Foundation, World Trade Center of Savannah, and Savannah Technical College. Tommy was honored by the Savannah Jaycees as the Outstanding Young Man of the Year in 1976, and he was a 1979 graduate of Leadership Savannah. He recently served as Chairman of the Savannah Economic Development Authority and represented Savannah on numerous Red Carpet Tours. Tommy was a member of the Savannah Golf Club and a past Commodore of the Savannah Yacht Club, where he was heavily involved in the 1996 Olympic Regatta and was Chairman of the Memorial Health Leukemia Cup Regatta in 1999. Perhaps more invaluable than Tommy's voluminous professional and community accolades is the impact that he had in the lives of the family members, friends and colleagues that he loved so much. He was a man with a zest for life and an effervescent smile that illuminated every room that he entered, capturing the hearts of those who knew and loved him. His tireless sense of humor kept those around him laughing. His kindness and his gracious and loyal nature were apparent to everyone he met. Tommy was an outdoorsman and an avid lover of the Georgia Bulldogs, Lake Burton, golfing, boating and a good cosmopolitan. Tommy is the son of the late Judge Edward M. Hester and is survived by his mother, Emily Whatley Harber, loving wife, Monica D. Mastrianni, two devoted sons, Clay M. Hester and Wesley E. Hester, sister, Ginny H. Bishop and brother, Edward M. Hester, Jr. Visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17 at Isle of Hope United Methodist Church, immediately followed by a funeral service, conducted by Pastor Mike Ricker, at 3:00 p.m. Remembrances in Tommy's name may be made to Wesley Community Centers of Savannah or Isle of Hope United Methodist Church Endowment Fund. Savannah Morning News April 16, 2015 Please sign our Obituary Guest Book at savannahnow.com/obituaries. | |
