Samuel Coney, 82, WWII veteran, avid cyclist

Samuel Coney didn’t take up cycling until his mid-40s. When he lived in upstate New York, he regularly biked to work, from Schenectady to Albany — roughly a 30-mile round trip.

“He started doing it because he was overweight,” said his daughter, Joy Clark. “He used to chain smoke and he started getting heart palpitations. It scared him so he started getting physically fit.”

Samuel W. Coney III, 82, of Decatur died Sunday at his home. The funeral is 3 p.m. Tuesday at Decatur Presbyterian Church. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Coney was born in Americus but grew up in Columbus. He graduated from Columbus High School and volunteered for the Navy in 1943. A year later, he was called to active duty during World War II.

After the war, Mr. Coney earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in Alabama. He spent more than 30 years with the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Commission in Albany, N.Y. He returned to Decatur after his 1983 retirement.

Mr. Coney is believed to have been the oldest member of the Southern Bicycle League. Seldom did the Eagle Scout miss a ride with his pack in Decatur, his daughter said. “I have enjoyed bragging on him for years,” she said. “He lived an extremely healthy lifestyle.”

Additional survivors include his wife, Joyce Coney; two sons, Michael Coney of Decatur and Samuel W.C. Hamlet IV of Columbus; and two granddaughters.