MARIETTA - Warren Rembert Chilton Jr. could have been considered Marietta's own Renaissance man. The commercial Realtor, affectionately known as Red, was a star baseball player in his youth and a star tennis player in his later years. He was a beautiful dancer, an expert gardener, a successful businessman and an active church member. But Red was known best by his family and friends as the light in a dark room, the man who could make anyone shine.

"He made people happy by his very presence," Dr. Betty Siegel said, who was a longtime friend of Chilton and his wife, Pat. "You could go to the bank with his integrity. He just treated everyone with so much respect and love, it's hard to think of a world without him."

Chilton was born in Grovania on June 20, 1928, and passed away Thursday after a brief illness. He moved to Marietta in 1943 and attended Marietta High School, where he was chosen to be Mr. MHS in 1946. As one of the first commercial real estate brokers to specialize in property around Interstate 75 and I-285 within Cobb County, Chilton received several accolades throughout his career.

Since joining First United Methodist Church of Marietta in 1943, Chilton served on several church boards and committees. He recently served on the WellStar Foundation Hospice Board and spent several years as a board member for the Georgia Ballet. In addition to his service, Chilton participated in many of the ballet company's productions, his favorite role being that of Santa Claus in 'The Nutcracker.'

"I went with my husband, Red and his wife, Pat, to a New Year's Eve ball in Indiana several years ago, where we dressed up to the nines and there were many fine dancers there," Siegal said. "But of all the waltzers, Red was the best. He could dance like no other, and you could always just feel the great love he had for Pat."

But according to Judge Conley Ingram, a friend of Red's for 60 years, dancing wasn't the Realtor's best talent. "He was extremely talented at making you feel good about yourself, to lift you up and make you feel that you could do anything," Conley said. "He had this amazing competitive spirit, and I've watched him tackle and take on so many endeavors. He could do anything. But he was also a very loyal and abiding friend. He was there for you through anything and everything. Through the good and the bad, Red was always there."

Chilton is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia Pope Chilton, and their four children: Warren Pope Chilton of Athens; Julianne and her husband, Boozer McClure; Claire and her husband, Sam Brogdon; and Laurie and her husband, Roger Phillips, all of Marietta. He was also a proud and loving grandfather to his three grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Mayes-Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home on Saturday from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Funeral services will be Sunday at 2 .p.m at the First United Methodist Church of Marietta.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the First United Methodist Church, 56 Whitlock Ave., Marietta, Georgia 30064 or Tranquility Wellstar Hospice, 4040 Hospital West Drive, Austell, Georgia 30106.

Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home & Crematory in Marietta in charge of arrangements.

"Having him gone is like leaving a great ship without our captain," Ingram said. "He was truly one of the best men I've ever known."