William "Bill" Sugg III, 69: Overcame spinal meningitis at 2
When he was 2, the right side of William Sugg's body was temporarily weakened by spinal meningitis.
No problem.
The tyke compensated by learning how to do everything with his left hand. He became a left-handed pitcher and batter. Wrote that way, too.
"He overcame it," said Collie Sugg, his wife of 35 years. "He went on with his life and adjusted. Being 2, you can overcome so much. He still had minor seizures as a result of the meningitis, but he took medication for that."
On Dec. 10, Mr. Sugg was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same type of brain tumor that felled Sen. Ted Kennedy. Mr. Sugg's condition was inoperable, so he underwent radiation and chemo treatments.
On Monday, William Ernest "Bill" Sugg III died from complications of the tumor at Metropolitan Hospice in Marietta. He was 69. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Wieuca Road Baptist Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Sugg was born in Jackson, Tenn., but moved to Mississippi when he was 10 or so. After graduating in 1958 from Tupelo High, he attended a junior college, where he played baseball. He transferred to the University of Mississippi, and in 1962 earned a bachelor's degree in business.
After college, he made Atlanta home. The Ole Miss grad managed property for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. His job: locate and oversee the purchase of land for new federal buildings across the Southeast, then help set up the office.
Mr. Sugg also worked as a property manager for the General Services Administration. In all, he spent 30 years in federal government, his wife said.
When it came to hobbies, Mr. Sugg was into sports, especially college football, and notably Ole Miss. When he was hospitalized for his illness, he used a laptop to stay abreast of recruitment at his alma mater.
Dove and deer hunting were other pastimes. He belonged to an informal club that hunted deer on property in Watkinsville.
"He didn't get to go hunting this year," his wife said, "and that made him sad."
When dove season opened, he and his father, the late William Ernest Sugg Jr., always had a date.
"They hunted on that day for more than 40 years," said a son, John Sugg, of Atlanta. "They'd go in Mississippi."
Survivors other than his wife and son include another son, William Earl Sugg, of Roswell; and one grandchild.
