George Traylor Sheftall

Augusta, GA - Mordecai George Traylor Sheftall died at age 90 on Thursday, May 30, 2024.   He is survived by his beloved wife Louise Wimberly Kimsey Sheftall; his son, Dr. Mordecai George Sheftall (Keiko) of Hamamatsu, Japan; daughter, Amelia Wimberly Sheftall of Manhattan, NY; and grandchildren Levi Riku Sheftall, Benjamin Dan Sheftall and Hannah Louise Wilk. He is predeceased by his daughter, Sarah Lowe Sheftall.

 Mr. Sheftall descended in a direct, male line from Benjamin Sheftall, one of Georgia’s earliest settlers.  He was born in Augusta to the late Mordecai Giffing Sheftall and Caroline Mercier Sheftall. He attended William Robinson School and Richmond Academy, Washington and Lee University and received his B.A. degree from the University of Georgia. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and received his U.S. Army commission upon graduation.

When called to Active Duty, he served as Commanding Officer of the 76^th Transportation Company and Maintenance Facilities in Orleans, France. Special duty assignments included SHAPE Headquarters in St. Germain-en-Laye, France, and as military liaison to United Artists for the filming of “Kings Go Forth” with Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and other stars.

After completing his military obligations, he worked at Citizens and Southern National Bank in their Management Training Program. He later worked with several insurance companies before being hired by Metropolitan Life to retrain their sales and management forces. He rose rapidly to Vice-President of Sales Manpower and Management Development then Vice-President Marketing and Director of Overseas Operations.

Mr. Sheftall was widely admired and active in the insurance and training fields.  He was President of the New York Area (NY, NJ, and CT) Training Directors Association. He served on the Life Underwriters/Million Dollar Roundtable Training Development Committee, the University of Louisiana School of Insurance on Wall Street in New York City. He was a Chartered Life Underwriter and Registered Representative of the National Association of Security Dealers.

Mr. Sheftall was the subject of numerous articles in industry magazines and was a participant in Harvard Business School’s case study regarding Met Life. He traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Caribbean and shared his materials and expertise with many companies abroad. He helped train U.S. Treasury bond salesmen in Washington, D.C. and Boy Scouts Leaders in Amherst, Massachusetts conferences. He was a member of The Conference Board.

Mr. Sheftall retired in 1988 and moved to Sandersville, Georgia, his wife’s family home.  While there, he was elected Senior Warden of Grace Episcopal Church for whom he built a new church and parish hall.  He was President of Rotary and served on the town’s Tree Committee planting hundreds of trees at the town’s entrances and throughout the streets. While in Sandersville, he enjoyed remodeling homes, bird hunting and socializing with friends from his youth in Georgia.

George was a lover of all things Scottish.  His family had three clan connections and he was a sponsor of the Stone Mountain Highland Games for 16 years. He enjoyed dressing in his full Highland regalia for parties and ceremonies.

In 2001, George returned to Augusta upon the death of his sister, Emily Sheftall Cleckley.  Having served in France and Germany during his US Army service, he became a knowledgeable oenophile and cooker of French cuisine. These hobbies were reinforced by his many business trips to Europe. He enjoyed being with his old friends, and making new friends, in Augusta. An accomplished gourmet cook, he hosted many dinners at his home.

He resumed an early hobby of constructing and painting model military figures, vehicles and planes, amassing a large collection. He won numerous awards at modeler’s conventions for his works. Automobiles were another passion. He owned two of the first sports cars in this area.

He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He was a mentor at Heritage Academy and a Director of the Heart of Augusta Bargain Center. He was a Chevalier, Grande Officer and Prior of the Templar Order.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at Westover Memorial Park with The Rev. Eric Biddy officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, 605 Reynolds Street, Augusta, GA 30901.