King Solomon Cone

Mr. King Solomon Cone, age 88, passed away peacefully with family members present at Brighton Gardens Senior Living in Dunwoody, Georgia, on February 1, 2016. Mr. Cone was born in Lakeland, Florida, and was the third of eight children of Perry Oliver Cone and Everlena Moree Cone. He was the last living sibling when he passed.
As a young man, Mr. Cone joined the Merchant Marines and United States Army and served in World War II. He was stationed in the Pacific for two years and survived a number of Japanese attacks, as well as Typhoon Cobra (or "Typhoon Hulsey") in 1944.
He married Billie Anne McCollum of Rome, Georgia, on July 18, 1946. Anne was the love of his life and they would have celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2016. They had three children: Kenneth Samuel Cone (Sheila Rawls), Destin, FL and Highlands, NC; Suzanne Cone Tamplin (James A. Tamplin Jr.), Dunwoody, GA; and Karen Sheila Cone, Warner Robbins, GA. Mr. Cone is survived by his wife Anne, three children, twelve grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He loved his family dearly and provided wisdom, wit, love of country and a zest for life and people.
Mr. Cone began his auto career at Haley Motor Company in Albany, Georgia. He was promoted to sales manager in 1959 and was one of the top ten new car salesmen in the USA for Ford Motor Company. In 1964 Mr. Cone and his brother, Jimmy Eugene “Gene” Cone, founded Cone Motors in Thomasville, Georgia. Later Mr. Cone, Gene and Mr. Cone’s son, Ken, founded Cone Automotive Management and together expanded their number of dealerships.
In 1974, Mr. Cone and other local businessmen established the First National Bank of Thomasville, which they later sold to SunTrust Bank. After Mr. Cone retired at age 49, he and Anne traveled extensively and enjoyed trips around the world. Mr. Cone began playing golf when he was 42, was a member of the Glen Arven Country Club and was extremely proud of his five holes-in-one. He was also an avid fisherman and hunter and spent many hours with friends hunting and freshwater fishing on the St. John’s River and saltwater fishing in Florida.
He was a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association, the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association and the Thomasville Kiwanis Club. He also was a member of the First Baptist Church in Thomasville, Georgia, and the First Baptist Church in Ellijay, Georgia.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 20, at 10 am, at the First Baptist Chapel in Thomasville, Georgia. An additional service will be held on Saturday, March 12, at 2 pm, at the St. Luke’s Presbyterian Chapel in Dunwoody, Georgia.
Memorials may be submitted online at www.alz.org or mailed to the Alzheimer's Association National Office at 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.