State Rep. Lynn Smith

It was a profound honor to read a House Resolution at Rotary’s Christmas meeting, standing with Leah Sumner, in remembrance of her late husband, Mike Sumner, and his extraordinary life of service to Newnan and Coweta County.

Mike was a tireless servant leader — past President of the Rotary Club of Newnan, Chair of the Coweta County School Board, and a driving force behind the development of the Central Educational Center and the Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. In addition to his public roles, Mike devoted countless hours providing trusted legal guidance to schools, nonprofits, and community organizations, often behind the scenes, helping move important work forward with clarity, integrity, and care.

So much of what our community benefits from today bears Mike’s fingerprints — often unseen, always essential. His leadership, generosity, and commitment to doing things the right way leave a legacy that will be felt for generations. Leah, herself an attorney, has also long served this community in the same spirit; together, they embodied a shared devotion to service and to the place they called home.

Mike Sumner’s legacy lives on in the institutions he helped build, the people he advised, and the community he served so faithfully.

Earlier this month, the Georgia House/Senate Natural Resources & Environment (NRE) Policy Academy met in the Savannah area. We spent the day on the water getting a firsthand look at The Skidaway Institute’s oyster research and the local farms supplying restaurants with Georgia-grown oysters.

And yes — if I look cold, it’s because I absolutely was!

My husband, First Lieutenant Charles M. Smith, served in Viet Nam. Our communication was limited to “snail mail,” and I often asked him to take photos of life on base when he wasn’t engaged in delivering critical supplies to soldiers under attack. I needed reassurance that there were moments of rest and relief amid the danger.

He couldn’t get film developed while overseas, so one of the first things we did after he returned home was to develop his film together. Sharing that experience — seeing the photos for the first time and hearing his stories — helped me to process his tour of duty in Viet Nam. Yet, only once in all our years together did he ever speak of the conflict itself.

Our veterans often bury their painful memories in search of a normal life once more. I am deeply grateful to all who have served and to the many supporters of our veterans here in Coweta County.

My heartfelt thanks also go to The Newnan Times-Herald for their annual magazine honoring our veterans and to the local businesses whose continued support makes this meaningful tribute possible.