- Date Of Birth: August 20, 1944
- Date Of Death: February 4, 2018
- State: Georgia
Steven Erle Fanning, Senior, (“Steve”), 73, of Grantville, Georgia passed away on Sunday February 4, 2018, at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. He was born August 20, 1944 in Bryan, Texas to the late Erle Wilford and Elizabeth Carroll Fanning.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Karen Elizabeth Fanning and grandparents Robert and Bessie Carroll and Earnest W. and Zula M. Fanning. Steve grew up in East Point, Georgia and was a 1962 graduate of the Georgia Military Academy in College Park, Georgia, now known as Woodward Academy.
In 1966, he graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Economics. where he was an Vice-President for his second senior year of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and the UGA U.S. Army ROTC Program. After college, he fulfilled his ROTC commitment and joined the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in Germany and later throughout Southeast Asia for several years. He earned the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge/ “jump wings”, and his Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge while attaining the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army. He volunteered to go to Vietnam where he operated in the Military Intelligence and later the Special Forces branches. While serving with the 5th Special Forces throughout Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Steve was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device (for valor) for “distinguishing himself by acts of heroism during land warfare that involved conflict with an armed enemy;” and was honored with the Air Medal for “single acts of heroism while participating in aerial flight.” After his military service, Steve entered the University of Georgia School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree of Law.
He was a member of Moot Court and the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. Upon graduation in 1973, he moved to Newnan and began his Practice of Law, where he was a member of the Newnan-Coweta Bar Association, the Coweta Circuit Bar Association, and was licensed to practice in multiple federal courts. Steve was a member the Coweta Beekeepers Association, the Coweta Cattlemen’s Association, the President of the Coweta County Republican Party, and was President for numerous years of the Woodward Academy Parents Club. He was an Eagle Scout, a member of the Order of the Arrow, earned the BSA Wood Badge status and spent many years in various leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America.
Steve was also honored by being elected to The Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers List. Steve was almost in-separable with his loving wife Diane, who was always by his side and who over forty-five years of marriage they together built their dream home, went on numerous adventures around the world and somehow found time to enjoy gardening, antiquing and attending numerous charity events and balls. He was a true renaissance man, who while a member of the Phoenix Debutante Society of Atlanta and thoroughly loving twirling his debutante daughters around on the dance floor, he also enjoyed driving his tractor and tending to his horses, cattle and later his bees on his farm.
He loved his family dearly, most especially his Grandsons, who while in their company was the eternal “big kid” as it was always uncertain about who was getting whom into more trouble. He and his grandkids were always playing ball, visiting train museums, going on trips to Italy, sneaking out to go get ice cream, and running to catch a funny newly-released animated film at the local theater.
He just marveled in their wonderfulness. Steve lived life to the fullest with a humorous take on everything and if ever there was someone who lived every day to the fullest, it was him. His many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends were an integral part of his life. Steve, especially enjoyed the Saturday morning breakfast meetings with his close buddies from the Coweta Combat Veteran Group, as well as, all of the jokes and great times had with numerous members of the Newnan and Coweta County Court system(s), and all of the members of the Newnan and Coweta County Law Enforcement Community. He grew up in the Episcopal Church in East Point, Georgia and later joined the First United Methodist Church of Newnan.
