Dr. Thomas (Jack) Miram Key

Dr. Thomas Miram (Jack) Key stepped peacefully into heaven early Friday morning, December 8, 2017.  Born in Adrian, Georgia (1922) to Morris and Bertha Key, Jack early came to faith in Jesus Christ and soon after felt called into Christian ministry.  Once his moral and spiritual compass was set, he set out on life’s journey and never once looked back.  

 

While attending Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, he met Ruthanne Shockley (Miss Blue Eyes), the love of his life, to whom he was happily married for 58 years.  After graduating from Asbury Theological Seminary (1947), Jack served as an ordained pastor for the next five decades in the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.  Pastoring churches in Washington County, Macon, Nashville, Cordele, Albany, Columbus and Dublin, Jack and Ruthanne were deeply loved wherever they served.  Their ministry touched the lives of thousands of people with the faith, hope and love that is found only in Jesus Christ.

 

Retiring in 1988, rather than slowing down, Jack and Ruthanne were more active than ever, serving in various capacities in China, Mongolia, Mozambique, Russia and Ecuador.  In more recent years “Brother Jack” pastored Evergreen United Methodist Church and was frequently asked to fill the pulpits of many different denominations in Dublin and throughout the region.  Visiting the sick, comforting the hurting, sharing the Good News with the lost, and spreading the love of Christ in restaurants, stores, hospitals, and nursing homes, made Jack and Ruthanne well-known personalities throughout Dublin.  Some referred to Jack as the unofficial archbishop of Dublin.  The city recognized Jack and Ruthanne’s contribution to the community in 2009 by naming them both “Senior Citizen of the Year.” 

 

Jack is survived by three children: Evangeline Walmsley (Montgomery, AL), Stanley (Katy) Key (Wilmore, KY), and Christina (John) Whitworth (Griffin, GA).  He delighted in his 12 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.  Jack is preceded in death by his wife, Ruthanne, and four siblings:  Woodruff, Marjorie, Bertha Nell and Billy.

 

Visitation will be held on Sunday evening, December 17, 2017 from 5:00PM until 7:30PM at Townsend Brothers Funeral Home.

 

A Memorial Service will be held at First United Methodist Church on Monday, December 18, 2017 at 11:00AM. Rev. Tyler Plaxico, Rev. Bob Williams, and Rev. Stanley Key will officiate.

 

Honorary pallbearers will be the Key Klass of First United Methodist Church and the KFC Wednesday Morning Men’s Bible Study.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorials and donations may be made to the Jack and Ruthanne Key Memorial Fund (through First United Methodist Church or the Georgia UMC Foundation) or to The Francis Asbury Society (Box 7, Wilmore, KY 40390).