Thomas Felton Denney, 86, of Carrollton, died on November 24, 2007, at his home surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife of sixty-six years Josephine, his five children, his sixteen grandchildren, and his twenty great-grandchildren. Mr. Denney was born in Carrollton, Georgia on April 30, 1921, the third child of the late Newman Edgar Denney, a schoolteacher and farmer, and the late Willie Myrt Shadinger Denney. Felton's father taught Sacred Harp, a form of shape-note singing, and instilled in Felton the love of the deep-rooted tradition, a tradition that Felton himself has passed along to many generations. Felton graduated from Roopville High School in 1940. On November 21, 1941, Felton married Josephine McWhorter. In the late summer of 1943, Mr. Denney was sworn into the United States Air Force, where he served as navigator and radio operator. Mr. Denney was one of four brothers and seventeen Denney cousins who served in and survived World War II. After the war, the Denneys returned to Carrollton, with their young daughter Mary, and bought the farm on which his mother grew up. In the fall of 1946, he planted his first two crops, corn and cotton, with a borrowed mule. In November of that same fall, their first son John was added to the family along with a tractor and truck. Soon the Denney family added laying hens to their row crops, selling eggs to local stores. In August of 1951, son Philip was added to the family and milk cows were added to their growing farm. Felton delivered milk to Carroll Creamery while continuing to grow and harvest crops. In 1954, their third son Bill was born, followed by daughter Sarah in August of 1956. Felton was active in the Carroll County Farm Bureau holding several local, state, and national positions with the Bureau over the years, including president from 1950 to 1951 and from 1964 to 1968. Mr. Denney was also an original board member of the Carroll County Water Authority and served as its first chairman. With a firmly entrenched work ethic, and being unwilling to allow idleness, Felton began winter planting of pine trees in 1958. It is estimated that he planted over a million trees under the Soil Bank Program. Seeing a growing need in his community, Felton helped found the West Georgia Timber Growers' Association and, in the early 1970s, was appointed to the Georgia Forestry Commission Board by Governor Jimmy Carter. He served in this capacity under three Georgia governors, while also serving as a director on the National Forestry Commission. Mr. Denney was the first Carroll County farmer to receive the Farm-City Award. Additionally, in 2004, he was honored by the West Georgia Timber Growers' Association for his many accomplishments and contributions to forestry and agriculture, to education, to church families, and to the community. After receiving this honor, Felton simply stated, "I didn't know I had done that many things." Felton was an active member of his church community, an elder deacon at Rocky Mount Baptist Church which he helped build in 1986. He regularly attended Sacred Harp singings at Emmaus Primitive Baptist Church, the church where he attended singings as a child, and also traveled throughout the United States to participate in the Sacred Harp tradition. He donated the land for Rocky Mount Baptist Church and the Sacred Harp Museum in Carrollton. An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Denney enjoyed hunting and fishing. Many of his children and grandchildren hold fond memories of fishing with him on West Point Lake and hunting throughout the area as well as in the Rockies. Mr. Denney is preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Vivian Rogers, and brothers, Wilford Denney and Max Denney. He is survived by his wife, Josephine McWhorter Denney, his children, Mary (Larry) Simpkins, John (Tammy) Denney, Philip (Gayle) Denney, Bill Denney, and Sarah (Eddie) Duffey. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Renita Folds, Randy Simpkins, Rebekah Donnell, Leah Denney, Seth Denney, Sachal Denney, Sinclaire Denney, Julie Langley, Kacey Askin, Kelly Horsley, Lee Denney, Mandy Denney, Dylan Denney, Lauren Duffey, Parker Duffey, and Tyler Duffey, and twenty-two great-grandchildren. Survivors also include his brothers, Earl and Jimmy Denney, sister, Eris Muse, and special friends Laura Taylor and Margarita Madrid. Visitation will be held Monday, November 26, 2007 at Martin-Hightower Heritage Chapel from 12 to 2 o'clock and 4 to 7 o'clock. Memorial services will be Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 3 o'clock at Rocky Mount Baptist Church. Graveside will be held at Emmaus Primitive Baptist Church following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to ALTUS Healthcare and Hospice, Inc., 75 Herrell Road, Villa Rica, Georgia 30180, and Emmaus Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, ATTN: Eris Muse, 427 Willie Walker Road, Carrollton, Georgia 30117.