Oconee County Commissioner W.E. “Bubber” Wilkes, who served nearly 26 years on the commission, died Saturday. He was 71.

Wilkes suffered a heart problem recently and was at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center when he died, according to his family.

Wilkes, a lifelong resident of the county, was also widely known in the Oconee farming community as his family was involved in the profitable turkey farms that rose in the 1970s.

Wilkes served as a county commissioner from 1985 to 2004, then after a hiatus from politics, ran again and was elected in 2014. He was into his second consecutive term, which ends Dec. 31, 2022.

A special election to fill the seat will be held in November, according to the Oconee County Board of Elections.

Oconee County Commission Chairman John Daniell served alongside Wilkes in his return to politics.

“He was definitely an icon for the county government. He was a fun person to be around and he really cared about Oconee County,” Daniell said.

Wendell Dawson, a former commission chairman who served 12 years alongside Wilkes, described Wilkes as taking strong positions on agriculture and property-rights issues.

“He always spoke for that element of the county. He could be pretty aggressive at it. There were times he and I differed on things,” Dawson recalled.

“His personality was that he could get along with almost anyone,” said Dawson, who recalled that Wilkes was opposed to tearing down the old historic jail.

“I was too,” Dawson said.

Oconee businessman Eddie Thaxton said his family and the Wilkes family both worked in the turkey business back in its heyday.

“We always had a good business and friendship relationship,” he said.

“He was very supportive of emergency services in Oconee County,” Thaxton said. “We could always count on him to help us as much as possible. He served the community well as a commissioner. There is a love/hate relationship with politicians sometimes. Twenty-six years – that says a lot right there.”

Fellow county Commissioner Mark Thomas also grew up in the same farming community as Wilkes.

“I’ve known Bubber a long time,” he said. “Bubber’s grandfather used to cut hair at our old general stores. Our families go way back. It was a pleasure serving with him. He was always joking and cutting up. His father was very similar to that.”

Years ago, Wilkes had heart problems and took up running to improve his health.

“I remember when he was running. My mother actually did a quilt for him out of his T-shirts,” recalled funeral home owner Tom Lord.

Wilkes once worked at Lord & Stephens as a greeter during visitations and funeral services.

“Bubber had the personality. He was a people person if there ever was one,” Lord said. “Bubber wasn’t just a co-worker. He was a good friend and I’m fortunate to have known him.”