THOMASVILLE- The Thomasville community is mourning the loss of beloved community member, Robert Charles Balfour III, who passed away on February 21, 2025, at the age of 97. 

Balfour III was well known for his passion about the land in the Red Hills Region, and the southern pine forests. 

A hardworking businessman and avid sportsman, Balfour III was most happy working and hunting in the woods. 

The woods were a haven for Balfour III, and he put his love of the land to work with his family’s company, Balfour Lumber Company. 

According to the company’s website, Balfour Timber Company became the official source of selective harvesting in 1957, but its roots were established much earlier. 

In the late 1920s, R.C. Balfour Jr. was purchasing hardwood timber for Georgia Crate & Basket Company. It was during this time that Balfour Jr. discovered when he marked and cut the larger trees, taking care not to damage the sapling, the young trees would rapidly grow to maturity. 

After word of mouth spread throughout the area, Balfour was asked to put his method to use in some of the pine forests. It soon became necessary for Balfour to build a sawmill that cut primarily timbers starting at 40 ft. And longer, thus beginning Balfour Lumber Company in the mid-1930s. 

Nearly 20 years later, Balfour III purchased the Lumber Company from its parent company and began crafting major improvements to the already established business. The first of improvements was the modification of the sawmill to produce chips from sawmill waste. These chips were shipped to paper mills which converted them into paper and white pulp products. 

As the relationship between the Lumber Company and the area paper mills flourished and the production of paper and pulp products increased, the demand for raw materials increased to the point the paper mills wanted more than just chips. After strongly encouraging Balfour III to procure roundwood pulpwood for their facilities, the Balfour Pulpwood Company was formed. 

Since then, Balfour Pulpwood has changed its name to Balfour Timber and supplies Roundwood weekly to almost every wood-using plant within a 100-mile radius of Thomasville. 

Balfour III’s vision for utilizing timber made him a trailblazer among many in Thomasville, with friend Richard Mooney, commenting on how his vision shaped the economy. 

“Mr. Balfour is somewhat responsible for the timber industry being recognized and appreciated in this area,” Mooney said. “When the plantation folks first started coming down here, they couldn’t imagine what we would do with land that’s only good for growing pine trees and Bobwhite quail.” 

Many argued timber couldn’t be used for farmland, and while that’s true, the timber produced and the Bobwhite quail have now been a huge contributor to the economy. 

“I just think Mr. Balfour was very involved in getting that message out,” Mooney said. 

Balfour III’s commitment to getting the message out led to a position on the Board of Trustees at Tall Timbers, the Leon County research and ecological station and land trust. 

According to Brian Wiebler, communications coordinator at Tall Timbers, Balfour III was a loyal supporter of Tall Timbers since 1978, serving on the Board of Trustees and as Chair of the Board. 

However, Balfour III’s most notable contribution came from a vision he had to establish an endowed Game Management Fellow position at Tall Timbers in honor of his father, Robert C. Balfour Jr. 

This dedicated game bird funding set the stage for Tall Timbers to focus and become a leader in Bobwhite research and management. 

Lorvel Shields, known to many as “Smiley,” was the first Robert C. Balfour Jr. Game Management Research Fellow and his micro quail transmitter invention revolutionized Bobwhite research and was the basis for decades of research in the Red Hills and elsewhere in the United States. 

The invention would’ve long gone unnoticed had Balfour III not suggested the fellowship. 

This was just one of many ways he provided opportunities for those in Thomasville and beyond to get involved in the outdoors and show an appreciation for God’s creation. 

“He wasn’t just focused on his career path in timber and land management,” Mooney said. “He was very involved in the overall community. He was a voice in the integration of the schools and has always been involved in the Episcopal church and was a great student of the Bible.” 

Jason Sanders, one of Balfour III’s employees at his plantation, agreed with Mooney, sharing that Balfour III’s faith came first in everything he did. 

“You didn’t have to ask him what his Christian belief is, you could just watch him,” Mooney said. 

Sanders said he saw Balfour III as a Christian mentor, who imparted lifelong lessons to him. 

“Spiritually, he was a good individual to mentor younger folks,” Sanders said. “He always had a great way of putting things in perspective.” 

Even in his work, Balfour III led by example. 

Hunts are still not allowed on his plantation on Sundays, and Balfour III discouraged any employee from working on Sundays, regardless of the situation. 

Mooney and Sanders both spoke on Balfour III’s weekly fishing trips down to the coast and how even when the fish were biting, he was always back in time for Sunday school. 

“Every Friday he left and went fishing and stayed down there on Saturday, but come Saturday night, he was on his way back,” Mooney said. “That’s a pretty interesting discipline. It was not in him to skip church.” 

Sanders explained Balfour III saw these trips as not only a way to enjoy God’s creation and the great outdoors but as an opportunity to re-center himself and remind himself of what was truly important. 

“For him, it was God, family, and work,” Sanders said. “He would encourage me to set my priorities the same way. He tried to impress that upon me, and it was a very welcome perspective in today’s society.” 

His dedication to the Lord left a mark on more than just Sanders, as Mooney shared that Balfour III has been a mentor to many who he may never realize. 

“The generation now is looking for someone to provide them with guidance, particularly spiritual guidance, and I think by doing what he did, people just looked to him. I know I did, whether he knew it or not,” Mooney said. 

Sanders and Mooney both saw Balfour III’s ability to leave behind such an impact on so many people as a gift. 

“He was just a person that comes around once in a lifetime that checks every box,” Mooney said. “He’s the kind of person who you want to emulate your life after.” 

Sanders agreed, concluding that he has met a lot of fine people over the years, but “He was by far one of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever met.” 

Joe Beverley, a friend of Balfour III’s for over 50 years, summed up Balfour III’s contributions by leaving the community with this quote: “Thomasville is the beneficiary of Bob Balfour’s life.” 

As Thomasville mourns the life of Balfour III, friends, and family rejoice in knowing he is now in God’s Kingdom, where he was welcomed with open arms and surely greeted by the famous verse, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful with a few things, I will put in charge of many things; enter the joy of your Lord.”