Richard Dudley Willett , 65, passed away peacefully at his home in Smyrna, Georgia on May 14, 2025, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia on June 20, 1959, he was the son of the late Joseph Francis Willett and the late Julia Pennington Willett and grew up on Lookout Mountain, Tn. After graduating from The Baylor School in Chattanooga, he attended The Georgia Institute of Technology where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Rick's entire career was spent in sales and marketing. His first job was with the Hallmark Company where he received the National Sales Award. For the past 25 years, he was vice president of Sales at Freeman and Long, Inc., where he was beloved by all his customers and a valued member of the F&L team.
Rick's faith in Christ was the foundation of his life, guiding the decisions he made in his work, relationships, and marriage. As a young adult, he was a longtime member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church. After marriage, he became an active member of Smyrna First United Methodist Church, where he frequently taught Sunday School. Most recently, Covenant Church Smyrna has been his church home.
Just after the Summer Olympics in 1996, Rick was introduced to Rosalie McCullough on a blind date. They were married on the beautiful spring afternoon of April 17, 1999, in Pontotoc, Ms., where Rosalie was from and her family still lives.
Rick was a loving husband, brother, uncle and son. He loved his shih-tzus, Lilly 1 and Lilly 2, beyond measure. He cherished time spent with his family and had fond memories of summer beach trips to Litchfield, South Carolina, where he still liked to make new memories each summer. Rick treasured his friends with the same passion as his family, and many friends have said that he was the glue that held friendships together. He was loyal and thoughtful beyond measure. He had a special gift for remembering dates and never forgot a birthday or special occasion. Rick was often the first call a friend would receive on their birthday.
Rick was born into a tennis family, and his love for the sport was second to none. He played tennis his entire life, but his passion was teaching. Over the past 15 years, he has spent time teaching for Universal Tennis Academy at Bitsy Grant and Blackburn Tennis Centers. He loved being on the court and especially enjoyed working with beginner adults and forming relationships with them. He made learning fun for his students, and countless players in the Atlanta area got their start in tennis with Rick. For the past eight years, Rick served on the board of the Georgia Chapter of United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), and he served as President in 2024-2025.
Surviving are his devoted wife of 26 years, Rosalie McCullough Willett; a brother, Buzz Willett (Connie), of Atlanta; a sister, Judy Willett, of Nashville; his mother-in-law, Ruth McCullough of Pontotoc, Ms.; a brother-in-law David McCullough, of Oxford, Ms.; a sister-in-law Anna Downing (Craig) of Pontotoc, Ms.; five nieces, Anna Clifford (Pat), Lauren Carter (George) and Molly Nielsen (Thomas) all of Charlotte, N.C., Julia Simmons (David) of Nashville, and Katherine Downing of Pontotoc, Ms.; two nephews, Stephen Downing of Nashville, and John Downing (Abby) of Madison, Ms.; and nine great nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 27, at 2 p.m. at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. The service will also be available livestream at 1:45 p.m. by going to www.peachtreechurch.com/memorial. Interment will be held on Friday, May 30, at 11 a.m. in Pontotoc, Ms.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Covenant Church, 3375 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, Ga. 30080 or online at covenantsmyrna.church. Memorials can also be made to the Piedmont Oncology Early Detection Pancreatic Cancer Clinic which would help fund clinical research in Rick's memory. Give.piedmont.org/pancreas