Posted by Terry Powers on December 18, 2022:

SAVANNAH - John 'Jack' Milton Sayler, age 88, died on December 30, 2014. He was the son of the late General Henry Benton Sayler and his wife Jessie Dixon Sayler. Mrs. Sayler was the retired Collector of Customs for the Port of Savannah. Jack Sayler was born in Savannah on January 28, 1926 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1949. He was commissioned in the Artillery and later transferred to the Air Force after a tour of duty in the Korean War. He was transferred to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and later assigned as a White House Military Aide under Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. In 1955 he left the military to join the worldwide operations of the late Barney Diamond and Diamond Construction Company. In that capacity he did work in the U.S. as well as in Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, South America and the Bahamas. In 1963 he left Diamond and formed Sayler Marine Construction Company that eventually had operations from Baltimore to Miami, Puerto Rico, New Orleans and Brownsville, Texas. In 1981 he retired and sold all of his companies to Raymond International of Houston, Texas. Locally Sayler Marine constructed the Thunderbolt Bridge, many Georgia Port facilities, numerous other commercial docks and marine facilities and repaired the Talmadge Bridge after it was struck by a military cargo ship. He was instrumental in bringing Intermarine (the minesweeper builders) to Savannah. TIC is the former Sayler Marine Construction Company. Jack was a former member of the Savannah Downtown Rotary Club where he served as Director. He was Past President of the Propeller Club and named Maritime Person of the Year in 1988. In 1972 he was presented with the Oglethorpe Trophy ' the highest community service award ' and the William Washington Gordon Award for Outstanding contributions to the business, commercial and industrial progress of the community. In 1974 he was awarded the Albert Gallatin Award for Georgia and the Southeast as the outstanding business and community Leader. He was also awarded the Savannah Chamber of Commerce Certificate for outstanding service to the community. He was the former Director of Atlantic Bank & Trust Company and served the Savannah Port as Honorary Consul of Brazil and the Dominican Republic. In 1977 the President of Brazil awarded him the Order of the Rio Bronco for his many contributions to Brazil. He was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, The Oglethorpe Club, the Savannah Yacht Club, the Cotillion Club, the Century Club, the Society of Colonial Wars, the Army Navy Club, Washington, DC and a past member of the Savannah Golf Club, the Boca Grande Club, Boca Grande, Florida, The Useppa Island Club, Useppa, Florida and the Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Maryland. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Elizabeth Kennedy Miller Sayler and a son, John Milton Sayler, Jr., his wife Linda Mottice Sayler of Savannah, a daughter Elizabeth Sayler Youles, her husband Charles Richard Youles of Alexandria, Virginia and four grandchildren, Kathleen Hagood Sayler of New York City, John Milton Sayler, III, Samuel McDowell Sayler of Savannah and Elizabeth Shelby Youles of Alexandria, Virginia. He is also survived by his brother, Henry Benton Sayler, Jr. and his wife Wyline Chapman Sayler of St. Petersburg, Florida, a sister Dale Sayler Morgan of Savannah, one niece, six nephews and a number of great nieces and nephews. Services will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Saturday, January 3rd at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to St. John's Episcopal Church, 1 West Macon Street, Savannah, Georgia, 31401 or the charity of your choice. Source: Find A Grave

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