William Nathaniel Tatum

Published 10:48 am Friday, January 21, 2022

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William Nathaniel Tatum, known to many as “Tatum,” was born Oct. 23, 1948 in Davie County to the late Bernard E. Tatum and Lucy Joyce Sutzer. He departed this life on Dec. 5, 2021.
He attended Davie County Schools where he later graduated with the class of ‘67. At an early age, he joined Cedar Creek Baptist Church, wehre he was an active member unitl relocating to Decatur, Ga.
He later went on to serve in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War from 1967-1970 as Sgt. William Tatum (E-5). While serving in the military, William received many medals and awards for his heroism for helping save his platoon during an ambush. One of those medals was the Purple Heart. After serving in the military, he worked for Texaco and RJR, where he met a host of friends.
William was preceded in death by: 3 sisters, Kay Francis West, Martha Annette Eaton, and Elizabeth Joyce Diane Tatum; 2 brothers, Henry Owens Tatum and Frankie Carl Tatum; and 3 grandchildren, William Dalton, Isaiah Ramseur and Natavia Tatum.
Lovingly, William is survived by: his wife, Mary Ramseur-Tatum of Decatur, Ga.; 4 children, Tonya (Patrick) Stout, William “Frankie” Tatum and Casey Tatum, all of Mocksville, and Yolanda Ramseur-Tatum of Georgia; 6 loving sisters and brothers, Geraldine (Brut) Brown, Sarah Parks, and Daniel (Dub) Tatum, all of Mocksville, Bernard (Maenell) Tatum of Greensboro, Rachel (Bob) Calise of Winston-Salem, and Cathy Tatum of Columbus, Ohio; 3 brothers-in-law, Robert (Lorna) Ramseur and William A. Ramseur, both of Cool Springs, and Donald (Debbie) Ramseur of Georgia; 2 sisters-in-law, Elizabeth A. Ramseur and Carol E. Ramseur, both of Decatur, Ga.,; 18 grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins , other relatives, church family, and many, many friends.