David Thomas Espy Jr. was a consummate newspaperman from a longtime newspaper family.

He began his five-decades-plus newspaper career at The Summerville News at age 12, making zinc engravings and running the Linotype under the tutelage of his parents, the late Lucille and David T. Espy.

On Saturday, Espy, 66, died at Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome.

Born July 8, 1944, the Chattooga County native was a mainstay at the newspaper most of his life. After he learned to operate the Linotype machine as a teen, he often set type for The News while in high school, according to his brother Gene Espy.

When their father retired from the newspaper in the 1960s, Gene and David and their brothers Bill and Donnie bought the newspaper and David Espy was named president and general manager, a position he held for many years.

David and Gene Espy owned and operated The News since the 1980s.

Gene Espy, editor and publisher of The Summerville News, says his brother “took a lot of pride in the layout and makeup of The News. He looked on layout and design as a creative art form and was constantly striving to make The Summerville News a more lively, readable and enjoyable newspaper. He was also an accomplished photographer and writer.”

David, who retired in 2009, was a member of the Georgia Press Association’s esteemed Golden Club honoring those with more than 50 years of service in the newspaper industry.

“Mr. Espy was a dedicated newspaperman and helped his family newspaper serve the people of Chattooga County with complete news coverage,” said Burgett H. Mooney III, president of News Publishing Co., which owns the Rome News-Tribune. “The newspaper community of Georgia has lost one of its finest members.”

Espy was also a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp No. 599.

In addition to his parents, Espy was preceded in death by a daughter, Melissa Espy; brothers, Donnie Espy and Bill Espy; and sister Helen Clark.

He is survived by his wife, Janice Espy; three sons, Tracy Espy, Travis Young and Keith Young; daughters, Karen Shepard and Aimee Espy; brother, Gene Espy; sisters, Carole Salmon, Mary McCollum and Lorraine Eubanks; 10 grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be today at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Mason Funeral Home, 320 Highway 48 in Summerville.