Chester Nolan "Chet" Childers

After a courageous battle with ALS, Chester Nolan “Chet” Childers passed away peacefully at home on June 3, 2026. Born on January 22, 1952, in Cairo, Georgia, to LaVonne Aspinwall Childers and Edd Lee Childers, Chet graduated from Cairo High School and earned a degree in Engineering Economic Systems from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974. A proud Yellow Jacket, he even named his black-and-gold power chair “Buzz” in honor of his alma mater. He spent his career in manufacturing systems and retired as a software systems engineer after logging more than two million miles on Delta Airlines. Chet shared almost 52 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Nancy Reeves Childers. He was a devoted father to Lee, Doug, and Patrick; father-in-law to Jamie, Molly, and Lauren; and proud grandfather to Sara, Nellie, Gehrig, Georgia, Molly, Maggie, Ellie, and Lily. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Tom Reeves, sister-in-law Gloria Reeves, niece Amy Reeves Dollar, her husband Emmett, daughter Emma, many cousins, and countless friends who became family. A member of McKendree United Methodist Church for more than 30 years, Chet served faithfully as an usher and on the church finance committee. Golf was one of Chet’s greatest joys. He cherished time on the course with friends, celebrated a hole-in-one at Hamilton Mill Country Club on August 18, 2022, and enjoyed memorable golf trips to Pinehurst, North Carolina, and St. Andrews, Scotland. Chet and Nancy loved traveling together, especially on cruises. Among their many adventures, a Panama Canal cruise stood out for its engineering marvels. One of Chet’s most meaningful journeys was accompanying Patrick to China in 2017 when he and Lauren adopted their daughter, Lily. Nancy’s and Chet’s cousin, Bob, convinced them to hike the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain in 2022. That trip led to an even longer Camino pilgrimage the following year which was from the South of France to Santiago, Spain. Though he fell several times on that hike, he stood up, brushed himself off, and kept hiking. Determination and perseverance were two of his strong character traits, and he successfully reached the Cathedral in Santiago for the second time despite many challenges along the way. His third Camino pilgrimage in 2024 ended after 200 miles due to a significant fall which led to his official diagnosis of ALS on October 15, 2024. From childhood, he enjoyed automobile racing attending NASCAR races in person and watching them on television. Because Bill Elliott was his favorite driver of all time, he was a big fan of Chase Elliott in recent years. Chet was proud of the fact that two ALS benefits for the organization “Racing for ALS” were done in his honor. He participated in both events, and it gave him purpose in his ALS journey to know that he was helping others with this terrible disease. Chet will be honored at a Celebration of Life event on Monday, June 22, 2026 at McKendree United Methodist Church located at 1570 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road in Lawrenceville, GA. The Celebration begins at 1:00 pm, and there will be a reception in the Fellowship Hall following the service. The inurnment will follow the reception and will be at the columbarium located next to the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Racing for ALS or McKendree United Methodist Church in honor of Chet if desired. Racing for ALS funds research and helps families affected by ALS. The address is: Racing for ALS, PO Box 1027, Holly Springs, NC 27540. The address for McKendree United Methodist Church is 1570 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

Chester Nolan "Chet" Childers

January 22, 1952 - June 3, 2026