Ed Sell III, a retired Macon attorney and community leader, dies at age 80
Edward Sell III, a retired attorney and civic leader who served as one of the original board members for the Peyton Anderson Foundation, died Thursday. He was 80 years old.
A visitation is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 2 at Hart’s Mortuary and Cremation Center (6324 Peake Road in Macon) at the cupola. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 3 at Mulberry United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Creede Hinshaw officiating.
Born on July 4, 1941, Sell graduated from the University of Georgia’s School of Law in 1965 and served in the United States Navy Reserve from 1966-72. He clerked for Georgia Supreme Court Justice Bond Almand and then joined his father at the law firms of Sell & Comer; Sell, Comer & Popper and then Sell & Melton. He was named Lawyer of the Year by the Macon Bar Association in 1999 and received numerous accolades from magazines and trade associations.
His philanthropic and board work extended beyond the Peyton Anderson Foundation and included local libraries and Mulberry Street United Methodist Church.
Sell, who represented various companies and government entities during his career, worked as general counsel for the Telegraph for decades, a role his father, Ed Sell Jr., had previously held.
“ Ed Sell’s death is a profoundly deep loss for the Peyton Anderson Foundation,” Karen Lambert, president and CEO of the foundation, said. “He was the only remaining member of the original board of the foundation and his voice and wisdom were consistently a guiding force in the actions of the foundation.
“Ed combined a disciplined mind with a deeply caring heart. Kindness and compassion emanated from the core of his life. He will be remembered as a guiding star of the foundation’s best work and his presence and influence leave an indelible mark on the foundation and on the lives of those who served with him.”
Gil Thelen, a medically trained journalist and advocate for the Middle Georgia Parkinson’s community, knew Sell for more than 40 years and worked with him following Sell’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis to educate and create fitness opportunities for others battling the disease.
“He was such a great defender of the First Amendment,” Thelen said. “He was a very gentle, very kind, very dignified man. His faith was deep and he loved his community, wanted to see it perform as well as it could.”
Thelen said Sell was instrumental in helping launch an exercise program for folks battling Parkinson’s disease at Middle Georgia State University, PD Fit, earlier this year.
“Ed very enthusiastically joined our work in educating people who had just been diagnosed about their condition and what to expect,” Thelen said. “Exercise is crucial to living well with Parkinson’s. Ed helped make contact with the president of Middle Georgia State and helped us secure the necessary startup funds [for PD Fit]. He gave us a heck of a shot of adrenaline in terms of being able to go forward with the program.”
Barbara Stinson worked at the Macon News and later the Macon Telegraph for 31 years, and for many of those years, Sell was the newspaper’s attorney. She said Sell was a “wonderful person,” a solid, steady lawyer who relied on his knowledge of the law and not courtroom tricks.
“He was a true Southern gentleman,” Stinson said. “As much as he was a good lawyer, he was an even better citizen and very active in the community. He will be greatly missed.”
Sell is survived by his wife of 24 years, Lenore; his children and their spouses, Scott and Nancy Sell, Mary Lee and Reed Watts, and Shannon Caldwell and David Haas; and his grandchildren, Josh, William, Sadie Beth, and Haynes Sell, and Ellie and Sarah Reed Watts.
