Lloyd Gayton, 80, Pike County watchdog

Lloyd Gayton rarely missed a Pike County Commission meeting. Whenever officials in the county south of Atlanta made questionable decisions, they heard from Mr. Gayton.

“He got on them when they did wrong,” said his son, Larry Gayton of Concord. “Tried to, anyway.”

Lloyd Herman Gayton, 80, of Concord and formerly of Bartow County, died of lung disease Thursday at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon. The memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the Zebulon chapel of Moody Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements.

Mr. Gayton started a group to monitor officials called “Citizens for Responsible Government.” He kept abreast of issues, maintained a Web site and wrote letters and opinion pieces on matters that affected the Pike County towns of Zebulon and Concord. His devotion earned him a nickname: “The Pike Watchdog.”

“He was a strong proponent of open records laws,” said friend Joy Walker of Concord. “He attended all the commissioners’ meetings, and most of the political meetings.”

Mr. Gayton worked as a data processor for Lockheed-Martin in Marietta for more than 30 years. When he retired in the early 1980s, he moved to Concord from Marietta. An avid golfer, Mr. Gayton enjoyed feeding and watching hummingbirds.

Other survivors include his wife, Betty Ann Gayton of Concord; two sons, Lloyd Dennis Gayton of Marietta and Richard Craig Gayton of Concord; two brothers, B.R. Gayton of Covington and Charles Gayton of Douglasville; and a grandson.