Daniel Mclendon "Dan" Waits

Mr. Daniel McLendon "Dan" Waits, age 68, of Cedartown, Georgia passed away suddenly Friday November, 24, 2017.

Daniel was born in Cedartown on January 5, 1949, the first child of John Marcus Waits, Jr. and Annie Laurie Crumbley Waits.

Daniel graduated from Cedartown High School in 1967 and, like his father, went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree from the University of Georgia. While at UGA, (where he was fondly referred to as “Rooster”) he worked as a trainer for the Georgia Bulldogs under head coach Vince Dooley (and remained a diehard Bulldogs fan). After graduation, he traveled extensively throughout the east coast as a representative of King Features Syndicate and United Features Syndicate selling syndicated comic strips, editorial cartoons, and columns to newspapers.

Also, like his father, Daniel suffered from the disease of alcoholism. In the early 1980s, however, he got sober through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and in a desire to help others recover, he returned to the University of Georgia where he earned a Master of Social Work degree in 1986 and became a certified addiction counselor. For the rest of his career, he worked as a clinician and administrator in the field of recovery from addiction. He remained active in AA and died with over 30 years of sobriety.

Survivors include daughter Leah (Joe) Lambert of Asheville, NC; son “Jake” Waits of Chapel Hill, NC; and grandchildren Hank Lambert and Alice Lambert. He and his four siblings: Stan (Mary) Waits of Dahlonega, GA; Mark Waits (Jeff Yoakum) of Cedartown, GA; Jeff Waits of Dahlonega, GA; and Melanie Waits Holbrook of Hiram, GA remained close throughout his life and possessed a bond forged through adversity that was coveted by many. Daniel also had a special place in his heart for his nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and his cousins.

An informal, casual (including dress code) memorial event to celebrate Daniel’s life will be conducted Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 11 a.m. in the chapel of the Smith & Miller Funeral Home. The service will include an opportunity for family and friends to share stories or memories about Daniel.

The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the service hour and following the service until 12:30 p.m. (Daniel would want everyone to be home in plenty of time to watch the Georgia Bulldogs win the SEC championship!)

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the building project of the Cedartown Polk County Humane Society, P.O. Box 1339, Cedartown, GA 30125 or to the charity of your choice.

The Smith & Miller Funeral of Cedartown is honored to serve the family of Mr. Daniel McLendon "Dan" Waits.