Curtis Melvin Chambers of Atlanta passed away peacefully on September 4, 2019. He was 86.
Curtis was born in Birdie, Georgia on July 16, 1933 to the late James “Corbett” Chambers and Sallie Barrow Chambers. He was the eldest of six children, and a character guided by his entrepreneurial spirit throughout his life.
Curtis was raised in Mobile, Alabama, and was known in his community as a young entrepreneur who sold ice and candy, and delivered newspapers, groceries, and auto parts. Curtis was also known as an entertainer, regularly playing guitar and singing at his high school, and hosting his own radio show in Mobile. Curtis’s school principal once told him "You need to give up that hillbilly music, there's no future in it." That same principal also chased Elvis Presley off his high school stage for inappropriate moves.
In 1952, Curtis joined the United States Air Force and was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska during the Korean War. He served 4 years on aerial reconnaissance flights gathering intelligence from the Soviet Union, receiving the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the Good Conduct Medal.
After completing his service, Curtis arrived in Atlanta in 1956, and began working at Lockheed Corporation. Curtis often played the guitar at social gatherings in the city. Curtis met a red-headed woman while playing guitar at a house party in Atlanta. When she asked him why he came to the party, he replied “I’m looking for me a wife.” The rest is history.
Curtis married Madelyn Gibson in April, 1957, and welcomed their first son, Jeff, later that year. Sons Greg and Ron were born in 1960 and 1968, respectively.
Curtis opened Chambers Service Station in southwest Atlanta on December 26, 1957, becoming a Pure Oil dealer, and later a Union 76 dealer. Curtis expanded his business to include lawnmower repairs as a Snapper dealer, and became one of Atlanta’s first video rental businesses. Curtis’s customers included many prominent Atlantans in the 1960s and 1970s, including Hank Aaron, Dr. Joseph Lowery, United States Ambassador Andrew Young, and Martin Luther King Sr.
Curtis became a grandfather in 1992 and spent the next two and a half decades adoring his five “ugly bunch of grandkids.”
Curtis’s jovial presence could be felt in any room. If you’ve met him, there’s a good chance you counted the ‘Fs’ on the back of a Chambers Service Station business card, saw a picture of his “Pride and Joy,” and heard a story about one of his 15+ trips to Walt Disney World.
Curtis’s other accomplishments include evading formal healthcare for more than 40 years, representing himself in county court twice, ending a high-speed police chase by shooting out the tires of the suspect’s car as it drove by his business, and maintaining the only rotating commercial sign in Fulton County after 1988.
Curtis is preceded in death by his parents Corbett Chambers and Sallie Chambers; sisters Betty Chambers and Jean Cochran; and sons Greg Chambers and Ron Chambers. He is survived by his wife Madelyn Chambers of Atlanta, Georgia; son Jeff (Shari) Chambers of Acworth, Georgia; daughters-in-law Nancy Chambers of Newnan, Georgia, and Melissa (Brian) Carlson of Auburn, Alabama; grandchildren Sarah Chambers of New York, New York, Kathryn (Nathan) Bohannon of Suwannee, Georgia, Kellen Chambers of Atlanta, Georgia, Paxson Chambers of Tallahassee, Florida, and Caraline Carlson of Auburn, Alabama; and sisters Barbara Coogler of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Gail Roberts of Saraland, Alabama, and Peggy (Ben) Adams of Mobile, Alabama.
The visitation was held from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Friday, September 6, 2019 at H. M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill Chapel, 1020 Spring St, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 7, 2019 at H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill Chapel. A graveside service was held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, 198 Shady Grove Rd, Murphy, NC 28906.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation to Bert's Big Adventure, a non-profit that provides children with terminal and chronic illnesses and their families a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney World. Please visit their website at https://bertsbigadventure.org/
Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of local arrangements.