Chattooga County Coroner Jeremy A. McElhaney and the staff of the Chattooga County Coroner’s Office are recognizing Senior Deputy Coroner William Earle Rainwater for 50 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Chattooga County.

Rainwater has spent more than four decades serving the county as its elected coroner, first winning election to the office in 1976. He was reelected every term thereafter, serving 48 years as coroner before transitioning to the role of Senior Deputy Coroner, a position he has held for the past two years.

His half-century of service makes Rainwater one of the longest-serving coroners in the State of Georgia.

In 2024, Rainwater’s decades of commitment to public service were recognized statewide when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Coroners Association. The award was presented during the association’s fall meeting in Warner Robins, where fellow coroners from across Georgia honored him for his 48 years of service as Chattooga County Coroner.

Coroner Jeremy McElhaney said Rainwater’s dedication, experience, and commitment to serving families during some of life’s most difficult moments have left a lasting impact on Chattooga County and set a standard for public service.