Obituary of Rufus Patrick Avant

Funeral services for Rufus Patrick Avant, Jr., age 77, of Roanoke will be held on Tuesday, September 2, 2014, at 11:00 AM from Quattlebaum Funeral Chapel with Rev. Greg Norred and Pastor Steve Fetkenhour officiating. Burial will follow at Northview Cemetery in Cedartown, Georgia. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00-8:00 PM on Monday, September 1, 2014. Mr. Avant passed away Saturday, August 30, 2014, at his residence. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Barnette Avant of Roanoke; one daughter, Leigh Anne Avant of Roanoke; one son, Donald Cole Avant (wife, Brenda) of Prattville; seven grandchildren, Mathew Patrick Monroe, Jacklyn Kate Monroe, Alexandria Avant Putnam, Jessica Avant Boyett, Stephanie Avant Davis, Jason Cole Avant, and Rachel Marie Avant; 12 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Carolyn Hamilton of Blairsville, GA, and Ethel Roper of Whiteville, NC; and three brothers, Jack Avant of Caladonia, MS, Clayton Avant of Thomasville, NC, and James Avant of El Paso, TX. Pallbearers will be Mathew Monroe, Jason Avant, Caleb Avant, Bobby Wilson, Tyler Blalock, and John Burgess. A North Carolina native, Mr. Avant was born on October 11, 1936, the son of Rufus Patrick Avant, Sr., and Mary Alma Martin Avant. He was a self-employed farmer. Mr. Avant was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, and two brothers. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the American Liver Foundation at http://www.liverfoundation.org/howtohelp/donate/.