Colonel (retired) John W. (Bill) Felton, III, died June 21, 2011, after a courageous 19-year battle with cancer.
Born in Knoxville, TN, Bill entered the insurance industry in 1960, after graduating from the University of Tennessee, and worked with Manhattan Life for many years. He was a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table and very active in local and national insurance associations.
Bill founded the Tennessee Brokerage Agency, Knoxville, TN, and truly loved brokerage and NAILBA. In fact, he wrote several articles for Broker World during the last two decades about the brokerage market and about the important role that NAILBA had in developing the viability of brokerage.
Felton served as chairman of NAILBA’s Charitable Foundation and, in 2008, the foundation named a grant in his honor, recognizing his tireless efforts to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. The Felton Grant will always be the largest of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation grants.
His distinguished insurance career was just one facet of this multi-talented individual. Bill’s first great experience in life was the military, in which he was a highly respected soldier/officer; he retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He didn’t just serve our country, his commitment expanded beyond that—he tirelessly served on the board of directors of his alma mater, Kemper Military Academy.
One of Bill’s great projects began in an American military cemetery in Europe. After returning home from that trip to Normandy, France in 1999, he began almost a decade of work gathering the support of Knoxville citizens, politicians, Tennessee congressmen and the state of Tennessee to establish a memorial in honor of veterans from 34 area counties who died in conflicts starting with World War I. Because of Bill’s tireless efforts, the $2.5 million East Tennessee Veterans Memorial was dedicated in November 2008.
Bill was also an active member of several civic associations including the Rotary Club of Knoxville, where he was recognized as the Rotarian of the Year.
Bill’s business legacy lives on with his children—two of whom have become successful brokerage general agents. There was no prouder father than Bill when his son John became a member of the board of directors and subsequently chairman of NAILBA. In another article Bill wrote for Broker World about his decision to retire, he had this to say about his two children who joined the family business and followed in his footsteps: “…he [John] is one of the best friends I’ll ever have, who loves me in spite of my many faults…I am beyond proud of what he and his sister stand for in the business.”
Bill is survived by his wife, Elizabeth C. Felton; three children, Karen L. Felton, Katherine F. Trousdale, and John W. Felton, IV; and four grandchildren.
One of Bill’s many fans in NAILBA said, “The Colonel loved his country and was always the first one to step up to the plate when it came to helping other people. He was and will continue to be an inspiration to me in both those areas.”
Bill was always upbeat, kind and filled everyone he met with laughter. If you knew him, you probably have heard him say, “In the military there’s an old saying: ‘If it works, don’t fix it; if it’s dirty, paint it; if it moves, salute it.’ ”
That’s exactly how Bill approached life, and he certainly is to be saluted for his legacy. His accomplishments in life were many, and he will be missed greatly by those of us who had the opportunity to know him. [SAC]
