Doyle John Tatum, age 101, passed away Thursday, April 2, 2026, at his residence. Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. at Hawhammock Missionary Baptist Church with Reverend Cail Pressey officiating. Family will receive friends for an hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in Swainsboro City Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Mr. Tatum’s grandsons and nephews.
Doyle was born in 1924, in Jasper, to the late John Homer and Beulah Pearl Tatum. He lived a life of service; he enlisted in the Army at 18 years old and served during World War II, storming the beach at Normandy before he turned 20. Doyle served his community and church wherever he lived and was a trustee at Toccoa Falls College for many years. He was a member of Hawhammock Missionary Baptist Church and had attended Southside Baptist Church.
Doyle was a high achiever and a worker driven to always give his best. Those who knew him the last few years saw him as a “sweet” man. Doyle’s prayer was often thanking the Lord for family.
Mr. Tatum and his late wife enjoyed traveling all over the world, and in their later years, had a handicap accessible RV and camped all over the United States. For twenty-three years, he provided love and care for his wife when her health declined. Doyle lived a life to imitate Hebrews 6:12, “Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
Mr. Tatum is survived by his sons, Philip Tatum of Swainsboro and Bill Tatum (April) of Rutherfordton, NC; daughters, Michelle Stanford (T.K.) of Gatlinburg, TN, Elizabeth Black and Emily Tatum, both of Swainsboro; 15 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; several other family members; and a host of friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Gideons International, P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214 or Community Hospice, 904 Mt. Vernon Rd., Vidalia, GA 30474.
Chapman Funeral Home of Swainsboro is in charge of arrangements.
