Laurie Hodges FOLEY

FOLEY, Laurie Hodges Laurie Hodges Foley, 54, of Decatur, GA, passed away on March 3, 2016. Laurie was an accomplished researcher, and lifelong pursuer of information and facts. A graduate of the University of Georgia, she was one of the first women to earn a PhD in Computer Science from Georgia Tech at the age of 26. She went on to be one of the youngest faculty members at George Washington University in Washington, DC in the late 1980s. Her career interests transitioned from academia to applied research at BellCore and Georgia Tech Research Institute. After starting her family, she developed an independent consulting practice in which she combined her knowledge of technology with her talents as a communicator to advise entrepreneurs on the implementation of online strategies and brand development. Laurie was creative and talented. She was a gifted musician as a student, and continued to appreciate music, especially jazz and roots Americana. She designed and constructed beautiful jewelry, almost all of which she gave away. She was a prolific knitter--of socks, in particular--and her beloved friends will surely remember her with toasty toes. She was very active in her community, using her personal and professional skills while volunteering at her son's school and her church. Laurie wrote and spoke publicly about her ovarian cancer experience with a blend of self-reflective insight, humor, and optimism. Forums included talks given to Emory medical students, a Caring- Bridge.com blog, and her speech "The Courage to be Mortal," which recently appeared on The Huffington Post website. Laurie was preceded in death by her mother Margaret Mitchell Hodges and her beloved grandmother Myrtle Day Hodges. Laurie is survived by her husband, Joseph Foley and her son, Arthur Foley; her father Donald Hodges and her step-mother Dianne Hodges of Lynn Haven, FL; her sisters Michele Hodges Hillegass [Aaron] of Decatur, GA and Jill Hodges Magnelia [Cedric] of London, England. Laurie was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish, and a funeral mass will be held there on March 12 at 1:30 pm. The church is located at 515 E. Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur GA 30030. The family requests donations, in lieu of flowers, be made to Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish or to Hospice Atlanta. Both provided tremendous support to the Foley and Hodges families during Laurie's illness.