Edward Laurance Womack, 73, passed away on August 7, 2026.

Ed was the son of Edward McCormick Womack and Laura Frances McArthur Womack and grew up with his sisters, Lynda, Jenny, and Susan. His father’s career took the family through Georgia, Alabama, and Florida before they eventually settled in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Athletics were an important part of Ed’s early life. He was a talented high school athlete and went on to play football at Davidson College, where he was a defensive back for the Wildcats. In 1972, he was named Southern Conference Player of the Week, and by his senior season he was recognized as one of the leaders of Davidson’s defense.

Football was part of his story, but the better measure of Ed was the way he lived the rest of his life.

Ed could be stoic. He could be stern. He usually wasn’t the person who needed to say a lot. But when something mattered, he showed up.

His Christian faith was also an important part of who he was. It gave him a foundation for how he approached his life, his family, and the people around him. He believed in caring for others, being generous with what he had, and doing what was right, often without needing recognition for it.

For 43 years, he and his wife, Lynn, built a life and family together. They raised two sons, Matthew married to Caty, and Kyle married to Jenny.

Ed loved his family in a way that was often more visible through his actions than his words. He was dependable, loyal, and generous. If you needed help, he was there. If something needed to be done, he did it.

His idea of family also extended far beyond the people who shared his last name.

If you were Ed’s friend, you were treated like family. If you were a friend of Matt or Kyle, the same rule applied. People were welcomed into his home and into his life without much ceremony. Over the years, more than a few people who started out simply as friends of his boys became part of the family in every way that mattered.

Later in life came a role that suited him particularly well: grandfather.

To Matt and Caty’s children, Hunter, Olivia, and Hayden, he was GrandEd.

To Kyle and Jenny’s daughters, Kinsley and Hayley, he was Old Man.

The names were different, but the relationship underneath them was the same. He loved his grandchildren, and they knew exactly who their grandfather was.

Ed is survived by his wife, Lynn; his sons, Matt and Kyle, and their wives, Caty and Jenny; his grandchildren, Hunter, Olivia, Hayden, Kinsley, and Hayley; and his sisters, Lynda Kenney and her husband Bob, Jenny, and Susan and her husband Tom.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward McCormick Womack and Laura Frances McArthur Womack.

Those who knew Ed will remember a man who was steady, sometimes stubborn, often quiet, and always willing to take care of the people he loved.

He taught his family something important without ever needing to make a speech about it: be there for your people.

Show up when it matters. Help when you can. Be generous. Make room for people. Treat your children’s friends as if they are your own.

That is how Ed lived, and it is a legacy his family will carry forward. His family also finds comfort in the Christian faith that was part of his life and in the promise that this goodbye is not the end.

We love you, Dad.

And we are going to miss you more than we know how to say.