Richard Warren Harrell

Richard Warren Harrell, 76 years of age, passed away peacefully with his family by his side, on December 18th, 2022, of Lewy Body Dementia/Parkinson’s disease.

Richard was born on August 16th, 1946, in Wrightsville, Georgia to Mabel Louise Kitchens and Vernon Russell Harrell. Richard grew up on the family farm and attended Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia where he was a star linebacker on the football team, graduating in 1964.

He then went on to the University of Georgia where he continued his love of football, playing under Vince Dooley for a brief period, and then graduated from the Terry College of Business School in 1968, with a BBA in Marketing and Accounting, and a Commercial Banking degree at LSU. He was a proud member of the fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. Richard was a devoted UGA fan and donator to the University.

Richard was the CFO for U.S. Enterprises, Inc. (USE) in Atlanta from 1992 – 2017. Prior to joining USE, Richard worked as a Senior Vice President of First American Bank of Georgia.

During the 1980’s real estate downturn in Atlanta, Richards’ quick mind and structured financial solutions helped many large commercial real estate developers through the tough times.

One of those clients was Kim King, the former Quarterback for Georgia Tech. Richard was able to grow Kim’s business, and their relationship flourished into a great friendship, becoming best of friends through the years in business, and as a lifetime advisor.

In the 1990s while Richard was at First American Bank, he had the pleasure of meeting 2 commercial developers, Tom Abernathy, and Ronnie DeThomas. Over the years they established a strong business relationship and became best friends. Richard taught them the billboard business and was always there to offer advice, be a friend, and teach, not just in business, but in life.

Richard Harrell, a loyal & proud graduate of the University of Georgia, was one of the original five “founding fathers” of the Bobby Dodd Foundation in 1976. He was a member of the Dodd Foundation Board of Directors for more than 46 years, the longest of any board member ever. He also served as the Treasurer of the Dodd Foundation for more than 30 years. In the1990s, he was named “the most valuable of our board mem- bers” by the chairman of the foundation.

Each year Richard worked with the Annual Dodd Memorial Golf Tournament, which generated funds for Dodd’s charity donations. Since its inception, this annual golf tournament has contributed more than 1.2 million dollars to Atlanta-based charities, and he was a major part of that donation.

In 2018, the Dodd foundation unanimously approved the designation, and presented Richard with the Dodd Trophy, symbolizing his many contributions and his ownership of the FIRST Lifetime Achievement Award.

Richard had served on the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission Committee, the Urban Residential Financial Authority, the Atlanta Development Authority, the Oglethorpe University Board of Visitors, and the Urban Residential Authority.
Richard met his wife Denise (Dee) in 2005, and they married in 2014. The marriage brought an extended family to Richard, which included a stepdaughter, Jennifer Ferguson, a step- son, John Ferguson, a respected spouse Shavon Ferguson, and grandchildren Ava, and Ansley Ferguson into his life. Affectionately known as “Papa Richard”, he loved spending time with his two granddaughters, Ava, and Ansley. The children brought him so much joy and he always looked for every opportunity to spoil his family.

Richard had an unbreakable bond with his brother Robert Harrell. They spoke twice a day, every day, no matter what was going on in their lives. Richard and Robert enjoyed going to UGA games and traveling to Las Vegas together. He also enjoyed spending time with his nephew Russell Harrell, his great-niece Emma Grace, and his great-nephew Will.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Longleaf Hospice care and the dedicated hospice team Chris Grothe, Kimberly Rife, and Dara McMillan, as well as the wonderful at-home caregivers, Heather Waters, Stephanie Wooten, Destiny Arroway, and Nicole Schandera. They all provided exceptional care with a loving demeanor. Richard loved them all dearly and developed a unique and loving relationship with each one of them.

Richard was predeceased by his parents Mabel Louise and Vernon Russell Harrell, and sisters-in-law, Marie Harrell, and Glenda Harrell, of Davisboro, GA. He is survived by his loving wife Denise (Dee) Harrell, stepdaughter, Jennifer Ferguson, stepson John Ferguson, respected spouse Shavon Ferguson, grandchildren Ava and Ansley Ferguson, brother Robert Harrell, neph- ew Russell (Jessica) Harrell, great niece Emma Grace, great nephew Will, his first cousin Patricia Davis, niece Libba Fisher, great niece Christina Fisher-Hensley, and many other cousins throughout the South.

Richard leaves a legacy built on family, love, and true friendships. Richard Harrell was described as “LOVE” by a dear friend.

A memorial celebration of Richard’s life will be held at 2:00 PM, on Tuesday, January 17th, at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Road, NW, Atlanta GA 30305.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested to consider dona- tions to one of the following:
Lewy Body Dementia Association https://www.lbda.org/
The UGA Terry College of Business https://www.terry.uga.edu/ alumni/support-terry,
The Dodd Foundation, PO Box 15908 Chattanooga, TN 37415