Gregory Burkhalter

Mr. Gregory Lynn Burkhalter , age 49 passed away unexpectedly at his residence Friday, January 29th, 2016.
Mr. Burkhalter was born in Jesup, Georgia on April 25th, 1966. He is the son of Molly Louise McGauley Lee and the late Bobby Maurice Burkhalter. He attended Bowie County High School in New Boston, Texas and followed his daddy’s footsteps working and managing service stations across the southern states. As the youngest boy of 5 children, Greg was born with the distinct genes of his father; he had shiny, red hair which quickly earned him the everlasting nickname, Rooster. While most of his family quickly adapted, his sister, Sissy, made up her own nickname, and called him Fred after the cartoon character, Fred Flintstone. Whether it was Rooster or Fred, all agreed that Greg was a very humble, sweet child, kind spirited, who loved everyone unconditionally and was there for everyone in the family. At a very young age, Greg loved to throw rocks which developed into a deep passion for baseball. He was the easy choice as Lone Star Elementary’s Little League Baseball team, and held the position of star pitcher. He led his team to 3 consecutive state championships and earned 3 large, impressive trophies for his all-star performances. His brother Dale, recollected his most memorable childhood moment with Greg: true story-years ago, the family lived in small trailer in Georgia. While Greg was in school one day, their mother and brothers were out running errands, and scurried home with 2 whole, baked chickens to be served for supper. After dropping the chickens at home, they again traveled back to town. When Greg got home from school, his mom and brothers had not yet returned, and he was hungry. He helped himself to, not 1, but BOTH of the chickens his mom had bought for supper! Along with his all-star pitcher title, he also proved to have an all-star appetite!
As an adult, Greg will always be remembered for his bona fide love for trains and motorcycles. His daddy worked for Central Georgia Railroad for many years, thus Greg carried on his memory through one of his most enjoyable hobbies, collecting trains. In addition to his massive train collection, he enjoyed the art of drawing trains. He mastered the art of drawing a perfect train that looked like it was coming off the page headed down the track! His favorite quote was “It’s not my job to run the train, the whistle it may blow; it’s not my job to see how far this train’s allowed to go. It’s not my job to blow off steam or even ring the bell, but if the train jumps the track, see who catches the hell”. Greg had motorcycle fever too, he loved to spend the weekends buddying up with his brother, Mike, and going for a weekend ride when the weather was nice. In fact, he enjoyed a beautiful day whipping in the wind on his motorcycle the weekend prior to entering eternal peace. He will always be remembered for his sensitivity, genuine love, and compassion for his family. He was a committed, wonderful father to his children, a caring and compassionate brother, a dedicated, faithful son, and one of the most lovable people of all. We will always remember his big bear hugs-the most sincere embraces, his laugh that would light up the whole world, and his random, texts, messages, or calls out of the blue just to check in and make sure things were alright. May he rest in eternal, heavenly peace, smiling down and “checking in” on us as one of God’s Angels in the sky.
Mr. Burkhalter is survived by his children, Bobby Burkhalter, Staci Burkhalter, and Stephanie Rhodes, all of Alabama; his brothers, Dale & (Lisa) Simmons and Michael Burkhalter, all of Kingsland, Ga., his sister, Tanya ‘Sissy’ & (Brian)Buchner of Lake City, Fl.; grandchildren, Elijah Hunter Lee Rhodes, Logan Edward James Rhodes, Hayden Conner Rhodes all of Alabama; several nieces and nephews, including Elizabeth & (Quinton)Nelson, Brittany Dillard, Sean Triano , Katrina & (Al) Black, Nichole Burkhalter, Sondra Burkhalter, Kristi Burkhalter, Paul Conover, Amber & (Jeff) Shirk, Samuel & (April) Buchner, Khrystal Buchner, and Brian Jr. & (Mariah) Buchner and many other extended family members.
A celebration of Mr. Burkhalter’s life will be held at 1 PM Saturday, February 6th, 2016 in the Woods-Wainwright Chapel in Coastal Camden Funeral Home with Pastor Nell Bennett presiding.
April 25, 1966 – January 29, 2016