The Rt. Rev. George Paul Reeves, seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, died Thursday in Asheville, N.C. He was 91.
A few impressions are gathered here from regional media.
Christ Episcopal Church (Savannah, GA):
Bishop Reeves was living in Asheville, North Carolina when he entered into God’s greater glory. In his final hours, he was cared for by his family and by Bishop William H. Folwell (our guest preacher in March 2009) who anointed him.
… to rubber-stamp the former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia as a conservative in a theologically-divided church would fail to capture the gifts he brought to Christianity, said Mills Fleming, senior warden of Christ Church Episcopal.
“There’s an art form to a worship service, particularly an Episcopal service,” said Fleming, Reeves’ godson. “I think his strength was in the liturgy. He was a consummate liturgist.”
“I greatly valued his wisdom, and recall his strong commitment to the historic traditions of the Church,” [The Rt. Rev. Harry Shipps, 8th bishop] said. “He had an ironic sense of humor that always amused.”
A native of Roanoke, Va., he was an alumnus of Randolph-Macon College and Yale University Divinity School. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities. Bp. Reeves served as Navy chaplain aboard the USS Piedmont during WW II. While stationed in Florida, he met Adele Beer, to whom he was married for 59 years. He became rector of several Episcopal churches in Florida, including Tallahassee, Winter Park, Sarasota and Coconut Grove.