James Mongin Burt, Jr. (“Sonny”)

Published 1:37 pm Monday, April 28, 2025

In Loving Memory of James Mongin Burt, Jr. (“Sonny”)

A funeral service for Sonny Burt will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Christ Episcopal Church in Cordele, Georgia. Sonny passed away on April 22, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.

Born on September 26, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Sonny was the son of the late James Mongin Burt, Sr. and Elizabeth Johnson Burt.

He is survived by Susu Williams Burt, his wife of 59 years; their children Daphne Burt (Craig Wong, Cordelia Wong), Jim Burt (Mary-Frances Burt, Russell Burt), and Jonathan Burt; and Sonny’s brother Steve Burt (Sally Burt, Patrick Burt). Sonny is predeceased by his sister, Wanda Mulligan.

Sonny’s life was a masterclass in genuine love of and curiosity about other human beings. He made friends wherever he went, chatting up strangers in shops or even the Paris Metro, never letting language be a barrier.

Sonny attended Florida State University and West Georgia College, later attending the University of Georgia and earning a master’s degree in Theatre. In the Theatre Department at UGA, Sonny met Susu Williams from Cordele, Georgia. They married in June of 1966 and together built a life full of laughter and creativity.

From 1969 to 1984, Sonny was a beloved theatre director and associate professor of speech and drama at Tifton’s Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He directed more than 50 productions with the Baldwin Players and Albany Little Theatre—among his favorites were Waiting for Godot, Carousel, 1776, Godspell, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Fantasticks.

Sonny had an unbridled love of classic Hollywood movies, record collecting, and concert-going. In Tifton, he launched a public summer film series and pre-screened many classic films at home, using the front porch as a projection booth, to the delight of his children and their friends. He planned the programming for the Tiftarea Concert Association and hosted visiting performers with home-cooked family meals.

In 1986, he and Susu took the helm of Daphne Lodge from Susu’s mother, Elisabeth Williams King, and ran it with spunk and verve. Sonny loved seeing everyone who walked through the doors of Daphne and would spend the evening making his rounds, speaking to, if not sitting with, every customer there. He never viewed Daphne Lodge as a restaurant per se, but rather dinner theater. Each night was opening night for a play whose cast changed daily.

Sonny was a man of faith and a devoted lay minister with DeSoto Methodist Church, a community he loved deeply until the end of his life. Fittingly, Sonny delivered a message during the church’s 113th anniversary celebration on Easter Sunday, 2025, just days before his passing.

Sonny will be missed by his family, friends, and all who were fortunate to know him.