George Saunders Jr.

DOERUN, Ga. — Doerun Mayor George Saunders, who was a former city councilman and a farmer, died Tuesday at 71.

Saunders was elected mayor of the city in 2012, and began serving a second four-year term in January.

“He was a good man,” said Doerun City Supervisor Kevin Branch. “He cared a lot about his city, and he was, I’d say, a patriot to Doerun.”

Saunders could often be found in a rocking chair with brother Ray Saunders, a former Colquitt County Commission member, in the afternoons at Wheeler Hardware in downtown Doerun.

Constituents often stopped by when they saw his pickup truck parked there, where the banter could turn to good-natured needling, Branch said.

“They spent a lot of time down there,” he said. “He was a humorous man. He loved to laugh.”

The mood at the hardware store was somber on Tuesday, employees said. Saunders was a popular figure and a long-time fixture at the business. They said he was a deeply religious man.

Saunders was elected to the Doerun City Council in 1999. He was a member of the Doerun Masonic Lodge, the local Shriners chapter and the Young Farmers Association.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church of Doerun.

“He was not just a boss, he was a friend,” Branch said. “It was a pleasure to work with him. He will be missed.”