Burton Marshall Courtney

BURTON MARSHALL COURTNEY, a Christian and dedicated member of the Thomasville Fellowship church of Christ, passed away on November 18, 2024. He was born on December 9, 1938, in Thomasville, Georgia, to BURTON MAXWELL COURTNEY and BILLIE ROSS COURTNEY, both of whom preceded him in death. He was a devoted husband and father, married to his high school sweetheart, CORNELIA (CONNIE) THOMSON CALLAWAY of Thomasville, for a joyful thirty-seven years before she, too, preceded him in death in 1999. Burt and Connie had four loving daughters who survive with their spouses: REBECCA LYNN COURTNEY (Bobby C. Rogers) of Memphis, TN; CORNELIA BLISS C. WALDRUM (Joseph Waldrum) of Sylva, NC; AUDREY GAIL C. FLEMING (Peter Fleming) of Nashville, TN; and MARSHA KATHLEEN C. CRAVENS (Thomas C. Cravens) of Nolensville, TN. Grandchildren include Callaway and Emmaline Rogers; Aidan, Lia, and Kai Waldrum; Beckett Fleming; Mae, Henry, Annie, and Will Cravens; and great-grandchildren Decker and Olson Waldrum. Burt is survived by his younger brother, BILLY ROSS COURTNEY, of Greenville, KY, with his two children BRANDT AND ANGELA COURTNEY, both of Tampa, FL. In 2019 Burt married JANIS MARIE GIBSON, who has lovingly shared and enriched the last 5 years of his life. He grew up with the support of family and friends, graduating from Thomasville High School with the Class of 1957. Burt graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1961 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. He received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force upon graduation and served his assigned three years with duties in Oklahoma and Southeast Asia, rising to the rank of 1st Lieutenant before his separation from service. Upon his return to civilian life, he re-entered Georgia Tech and earned a Masters degree in Civil Engineering in 1965. He worked for two years as Assistant to the Director of the Water Resources Center at Georgia Tech before accepting employment with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Knoxville, TN. As an engineer in the Reservoir Operations Branch, his duties included forecasting and managing river flows throughout the Tennessee River basin for flood control and hydropower production. Burt managed the multi-organizational team responsible for converting all manual hydrologic data collection and reservoir system operations to a network of computer-based programs. This effort was highly successful in modernizing day-to-day operations and was the direct predecessor of the system still in service today. Burt was a Registered Professional Engineer in both Georgia and Tennessee. He earned a second Masters degree, in Engineering Administration from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, during his tenure with TVA. Upon retirement from TVA in December 1992, Burt and his family relocated to Cochran, GA, where he taught as an associate professor in the pre-engineering program for four years. In 1999 Burt returned home to his beloved Thomasville, the piney woods, waters, and fauna of his childhood stomping grounds. Burt cherished his life with Janis, connections with his dear Class of ’57, the music and performing arts of Thomasville Entertainment Foundation, and devotion to his congregation at Fellowship church of Christ. He loved us well, and he was well loved.
A service will be held on Sunday, November 24th at 2 pm at the Allen & Allen Celebration of Life Chapel with a visitation an hour prior to the service.
Burt was an avid supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Samaritan’s Purse, in light of recent storms, Helene Rebuild Collaborative https://hurricanehelenewnc.com , and the Sally E. Townsend Scholarship Endowment (University of Tennessee, 1625 University Ave. Knoxville, TN 37921).