Nathan Suber III, who served on Columbus Council for 12 years, dies at 74
Former Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber III has died.
Suber died Monday at the age of 74, according to his obituary on Progressive Funeral Home’s website. The cause and location of his death aren’t noted.
As the District 1 representative, Suber served on the city council for 12 years, from 1994 to 2006. He was a salesman for Aflac insurance.
The funeral arrangements, according to Progressive, are:
- Visitation from 2 to 5 p.m. June 23 at Progressive, 4235 St. Marys Road.
- Homegoing celebration June 24 at 11 a.m. in Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, 222 W. Fifth St.
- Interment at Evergreen Memorial Garden, 4500 St. Marys Road.
‘Represented his district well’
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson served as the council’s citywide District 10 representative for 20 years, including a decade with Suber. Now in his second term as mayor, Henderson still would hear from Suber.
“He called me every now and then, maybe once or twice a year, and let me know what he thought we were doing right and what he thought we were doing wrong,” Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “He’ll be missed by more than just his family Our prayers go out to Charlene and the rest of his family and friends.”
Columbus Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen, who has been the council’s District 6 representative for 33 years, sat next to Suber during meetings.
“Although we didn’t agree on everything, we did keep the growth of Columbus first,” Allen told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “We worked on preparing Columbus for the buildup post-Olympics (in 1996, when Columbus hosted the softball competition), which were exciting times. He represented his district well and enjoyed serving Columbus.”
Suber chaired the trustee ministry at Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, where the Rev. Johnny Flakes III benefited from Suber’s counsel to help with the church’s leadership transition when Flakes succeeded his father as senior pastor in 2012.
“I really appreciated him for that,” Flakes told the Ledger-Enquirer.
‘Very candid about what his convictions were’
Flakes described Suber as “very committed to whatever he was assigned to. He loved his family and his church, … and he was very committed to public service. He was trustworthy and dependable. He would follow through.”
Suber also was “very candid about what his convictions were, and he didn’t mind expressing that,” Flakes said. “He was very straightforward. … I really loved that about him.”
For instance, Flakes relied on Suber to check references for contractors the church was considering, and Flakes counted on Suber to speak up at meetings whenever the pastor needed a congregant to express a certain viewpoint.
“He really helped navigate the waters,” Flakes said, “just building relationships among trustees and deacons and just being there for me. I just didn’t see him as a member; I saw him as a friend.”
Following in his father’s footsteps as an outspoken advocate beyond the church and into the community, Flakes is grateful for Suber’s mentoring in that realm as well.
“I loved the opportunities to engage with him and get his opinion about politics,” Flakes said. “He taught me a lot in terms of the political dynamics, … just helping me to understand the political landscape, particularly in terms of Columbus.”
Passionate about ‘fiscal stability’ and ‘consistency of policies’
Suber was passionate about “fiscal stability for the city” and “consistency of policies to make sure the south side of Columbus was not forgotten,” Flakes said. “He wanted to make sure south Columbus had the same opportunities for economic development as what was being done in other places.”
Flakes praised Suber for his ability to “build bridges” with the late Red McDaniel, who served District 8 on Columbus Council for 38 years before dying in 2014. Although the two councilors came from different backgrounds and got off to a “little rocky” start, Flakes said, “they learned how to build a relationship. … That helped the council in terms of getting things done for the city.”
Former city manager Isaiah Hugley agrees. He also cited the relationship with McDaniel as a prime example of Suber being tough enough to be a strong advocate for his constituents but wise enough to find common ground.
“They became great friends,” Hugley told the Ledger-Enquirer. “They would have lunch together, and they were just supportive of each other. I’d like to see more of those kinds of relationships on today’s city council.”
Henderson also emphasized the significance of Suber’s relationship with McDaniel.
“They were two of the most unlikely individuals to forge a long-term, lasting friendship,” Henderson said. “I would love to see more elected officials all across Georgia and across the country be able to do what they did. … It’s sort of a lost art where people are able to be on polar-opposite sides of an issue and still be able to have communication and find something in there that they can agree on.”
‘An awesome public servant’
Hugley described Suber as “an awesome public servant. … Nathan served the people. He listened to the people. He worked for the people. He was a voice for the people.”
Suber also was a voice for Hugley, advocating for him to be promoted from deputy city manager in 2005, when the council unanimously approved then-Mayor Bob Poydasheff’s recommendation to appoint Hugley as the city’s first Black city manager.
“Nathan spoke up when it was time to speak up, and he spoke with a loud, bold voice … for the people who lack a voice around the table and out in the community,” Hugley said. “… So we’re fortunate to have had Nathan on city council, making a difference in Columbus, Georgia. My prayers and thoughts are with his family. He was a true friend of mine, and he will be greatly missed.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
