MR. HOWARD "BOSS MAN" LAZENBY SR.

Howard Lazenby, Sr., known affectionately as “Boss Man,” passed away on March 10, 2026, at his home in Thomson, Georgia, at the age of 71. Born on August 1, 1954, in Thomson, he was the youngest of fourteen children born to the late Peter Lazenby, Sr., and Annie Kate Coleman Lazenby.

A lifelong resident of Thomson, Howard was a man of deep faith who joined Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church at an early age. He excelled as an athlete in the McDuffie County public school system, earning recognition as the most outstanding offensive and defensive lineman during his senior year, a distinction later captured in the book “Ghosts of the Brickyard.” He studied brick masonry at Augusta Area Technical School and went on to serve as Head Maintenance Technician for McDonald’s for more than twenty years. In 1996, he followed his entrepreneurial spirit and founded Lazenby Masonry. Howard was remembered as an athlete, skilled craftsman, mentor, and devoted family man whose strong work ethic was matched only by his love for those closest to him.

He was preceded in death by his parents and twelve siblings: Christine Martin, Lizia Mae Rogers, Ruth Mae Mills, Ernestine Lazenby, Mary Louise Crowder, Robert Lazenby, Bill Lazenby, Ezell Lazenby, Hubert Lazenby, Joe D. Lazenby, Sammie T. Lazenby, and Joseph Lazenby.

Howard is survived by his devoted wife, Cathy Phillips Lazenby; his sons, Howard, Jr. (Jackie) Lazenby and Alexander Brian (Amber) Lazenby; his five grandchildren, Aliyah Lazenby, Tamia Lazenby, Amaya Lazenby, Howard “Tre” Lazenby, III, and Brian Lazenby; and three great-grandchildren, Daylen, Devin, and Nova Grace. He is also survived by one brother, Peter Lazenby, Jr., his mother-in-law, Martha Jewel Phillips, three sisters-in-law, Vickie Petrea, Tammy Newsome, and Rhonda Phillips, one brother-in-law, Ricky Phillips, his devoted friend and “work-son” Dexter Armstead, and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, and dear friends who loved him deeply.