Klaus Halm

Mr. Klaus Halm of Newnan (formerly of East Point and Peachtree City) passed away on April 8, 2023 . He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Ann DeCourcy Halm and granddaughter, Brenna Chastain . He is survived by his daughters, Debbie Chastain of Peachtree City; Kathy Harrell and her husband, Rick of Peachtree City; sons, David Halm and his wife, Michelle of Peachtree City; Andy Halm and his wife, Tang of Fayetteville; grandchildren, Kellie (Steven) , Shelby (Rich) , Kevin (Erin) , Anna (Jordan) , Cara (Michael) , Alexis , Alec (Brittany) , Glenn (Becca) , Nathan (Ali) , Kevin , Alissa , great grandchildren , David , Brantlee, Hayes, Adlee , Adeline , Adelaide and Nell. and a special former daughter-in-law, Tina Halm .In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to The Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) The family of Mr. Halm would like to especially thank his team of caregivers , led by Effie Cotton, for their wonderful devotion and love to him and his family. A Celebration of Life service for Klaus will be held at a later date. For a full obituary , please visit Parrott Funeral Home and Crematory website at www.parrottfuneralhome.com. Dad, or Granddad as he has been known for so many years even by his own children and later his great-grandchildren, led a full and fascinating life. We wanted to augment the published obituary with some additional detail! Born in Germany in 1929, Dad’s family emigrated to the USA in the late 1930’s to escape the deteriorating situation in Nazi Germany. Both his free-market economist father and his Jewish mother recognized the risks of remaining in Germany and searched for the means to leave. His father found a faculty position at The Fletcher School of Tufts University and eventually (after much trepidation involved with obtaining visas) the family was able to join him in the Boston area. Dad grew up there and met mom at the Winchester Public Library. They soon married and, after Dad finished his undergraduate studies at Tufts, moved to Pennsylvania so that he could continue graduate work at Lehigh University. Dad was unexpectedly drafted by the U.S. Army in 1954, however, and posted to Fort McPherson in the Atlanta area after basic training. Discharged after serving two years, Dad accepted a civil service role with the Third Army Public Affairs Office. This led to a long and successful career, finishing in 1991 after retiring as Deputy Chief Public Affairs Officer for The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). Dad’s distinguished career was formally recognized when he was inducted into the inaugural year-2000 class of the U.S. Army Public Affairs Hall of Fame. From their website: …as a DA civilian, he was the speechwriter for the commanding general of Third Army. In 1965 he became chief of the Press Section of Third Army PAO. He was responsible for managing media coverage of the My Lai Massacre and subsequent Capt. Medina trial at Fort McPherson. His insistence on the trial being open to the media helped deflect negative opinions of the Army into a contemporary standard of military/media relations. In 1972 Halm reorganized Third Army PAO, forming one of the first PA plans and operations branches. During his tenure, Halm set the standard for the integration of active- and reserve-component Public Affairs units and personnel. His work eventually led to the creation of more than 80 Public Affairs units in all components. He ultimately became Deputy Public Affairs Officer of FORSCOM Public Affairs, and retired from civil service in June 1991. Mom and Dad lived in several houses on the south side of Atlanta but eventually settled on Hogan Road in East Point. Here, they raised their family until his retirement and their subsequent move to Peachtree City. They enjoyed their long retirement with their family along with the regular additions of grandchildren and, later, great-grandchildren. Dad suffered from some dementia, which took away much of his short-term memory. But, thankfully, much of his long-term memory remained and he was quite engaging in conversation until the very end. We all appreciate being able to continue to enjoy his love, his wit, and his sense of humor these past few years. His caregivers, most especially his steadfast Effie, played a huge role in helping Dad maintain a happy and strong quality of life until just a few days before he left us. Dad accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in recent months, and we are overjoyed to know he is reunited in heaven with mom and other cherished family. We end this tribute with the oft-repeated poem he learned from attending the 1939 World’s Fair in New York with his family. It was where he recalled he saw his first television. This poem was the slogan from The Donut Casino booth…he loved to share it, and it is a testament of Dad’s incredible life journey and his amazing retention of memories from so long ago: As you ramble on through life, Brother, Whatever be your goal, Keep your eye upon the Doughnut, And not upon the Hole! With love from Dad’s children and all the Halm family!

Klaus Halm

August 6, 1929 - April 8, 2023