UPDATED 5:00 P.M. SUNDAY:
A private graveside service will be held with a memorial service to be held at a later date.
Meanwhile, tributes continued Sunday.
–“Regarded as a legend in many different arenas, Massey had a passion for knowing the people around him and making an impact in various sectors in and outside of the poultry industry.” – Georgia Agribusiness Council
–“The best governor the state of Georgia never had,” former Gov. Nathan Deal once said, to which another former governor, Roy Barnes, quipped, “Why would he have wanted to run for governor? He already runs the state.”
UPDATED 10:45 P.M. SATURDAY:
The man who succeeded Abit Massey as head of the Georgia Poultry Federation (GPF) said Saturday that what he remembers most about him is “how much he loved so many people and how much he was loved back.
Mike Giles is the current President of the federation.
“Abit was genuinely interested in the lives of others,” he continued.
Giles said he will miss many things about him “but maybe his mischievous sense of humor is the thing I will miss the most… and driving back and forth to Atlanta together listening to his stories and soaking in his wisdom and advice.”
“There are so many other things to remark on – his towering intelligence, unquestioned ethics, many accomplishments, his altruism and community service – but the love and laughs are what I will remember the most. I will be forever grateful for the impact that Abit had on my life.”
EARLIER STORY. POSTED AT 4:30 SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
The tributes are coming in following the death of Georgia poultry giant Abit Massey of Gainesville.
—“Abit Massey was a true force and a well-known personality throughout the entire state whose name is synonymous with Georgia’s thriving poultry industry,” Gov. Brian Kemp said upon learning of his death. “We will miss his welcome presence in the halls of the Capitol and most of all his friendship.”
—“We were saddened to learn of the passing of Abit Massey. He and his wife, Kayanne, a Brenau alumna, had long been friends and supporters of the university,” Brenau University President David L. Barnett, said. “We express our deepest condolences to Kayanne and the entire Massey family. Georgia has lost a brilliant business mind and caring philanthropic heart.”
Massey was born on November 14, 1927, in Gainesville.
He was a past Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership and past President of the Georgia Society of Association Executives. Massey has also served as the dean of the state’s lobbyist corps and was, for decades, a fixture at the state capitol, especially when the legislature was in session – an unapologetic booster of the poultry industry.
He was the former director of the Georgia Department of Commerce, now the Department of Economic Development, where he created the Tourist Division and built the first Georgia Welcome Station.
(With help from the Digital Library of Georgia. Abit Massey, 19 September 2011. – Digital Library of Georgia (usg.edu)
EARLIER STORY. POSTED AT 11:30 A.M. SATURDAY:
Gainesville’s Abit Massey has died. Massey, who was 96, passed away today.
Massey’s devotion to Georgia’s poultry industry from its early days to the 21st century is legend. He was not only the Executive Director-emeritus of the Gainesville-based Georgia Poultry Federation (where he went to work in 196) but was a tireless booster of the industry, which had its birth in Gainesville.
In addition, Massey and his wife, Kayanne, have been lauded for their philanthropy.
You read more about Massey here: Meet Mr. Abit (gsae.org)
(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)