Realtor John Thibadeau Sr. made a name for himself creating residential developments, among them Victoria Estates, Pine Glen and Goldleaf in DeKalb County and Saddle Club Estates and Ashworth Circle in Gwinnett.
He also built a reputation as a visionary.
Richard Boone of Gainesville, the CEO of Georgia Multiple Listing Service, credits Thibadeau with being one of the state’s bold real estate insiders who provided the leadership to transform Georgia MLS’ printed real estate information that might be two weeks old into instant online information.
Bob Hamilton of Brookhaven, a former CEO of the Georgia Association of Realtors, agreed that Thibadeau took care to prepare for the future.
“During the early 1970s,” Hamilton said, “our association had a staff of one, an overworked secretary. John persuaded our board if we were to be truly professional we must hire a chief executive officer, even if that was expensive. And rather than rent a tiny office, John said that we, as Realtors, should own our own building on our own property. Our expanded headquarters at 3200 Presidential Drive is a testament to his vision.”
John Stuart Thibadeau, 88, of Cumming died Thursday at Hospice Atlanta of an infection. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at McDonald Funeral Home in Cumming.
Thibadeau was a member of the board of the C&S Emory Bank for 25 years. Its former chairman, Merrill Autry, now retired and living in Decatur, said he never knew a better businessman than Thibadeau.
“I brought John in on every decision. I was that confident in his judgment,” Autry said.
Thibadeau also gave a lot of people opportunities to make better lives for themselves, Autry added. One of those was Jim Grimes, now retired and living in Hiawassee.
“I once worked for John,” Grimes said, “but he guided me and got me started in my own insurance business. He was the type of person who goes out of his way to help others.”
Beyond his business dealings, Thibadeau was conscientious about his commitments to his community, Autry said.
He served as president of the Druid Hills Lions Club and of the Briarcliff High School PTA and was a lay leader at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. He was a trustee of the Methodist Children’s Home and of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
Of all of his outside activities, he probably got the most enjoyment out of the Decatur-DeKalb YMCA, said his son, John Thibadeau Jr. of Peachtree City.
“Dad chaired its management board and was a co-founder of its health club,” he said. “Plus, during the time his office was located nearby, he’d go to the Y practically every workday to eat lunch and to play basketball with a bunch of his old friends.”
Thibadeau’s first wife, Catheren Harwell Thibadeau, died in 1983. He is survived by his second wife, Elizabeth Sizemore Thibadeau; three other sons, James Thibadeau of Brookhaven, Robert Thibadeau of Pittsburgh and Thomas Thibadeau of Decatur; a stepdaughter, Kathleen Sizemore of Alpharetta; two stepsons, Lamar Sizemore of Macon and Alan Sizemore of Brookhaven; and nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, six step-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.
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