Sara Doss Donley

Family-Placed Death Notice

SARA DOSS DONLEY Mrs. Sara Doss Donley of Canton, Georgia, the widow of the late David W. Donley, Jr. died on August 18, 2005. Mrs. Donley was born in Tift County, Georgia on August 9, 1925, the youngest of seven children of James Russell Doss and Fannie Lyon Doss. Orphaned at an early age, she went on to attend Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College and Georgia State Teachers College (now Georgia Southern University), graduating in 1945 and marrying the same year. She was employed by the Cherokee County Board of Education from 1957 to 1980 as a teacher and administrator at Canton Elementary and Cherokee High School, and from 1980 to 1988, she served as the first secondary instructional supervisor for the school system. She also received the M.Ed. degree in Science Education and the Ed.S. degree in Educational Administration from the University of Georgia. From 1960 to 1977, she taught Chemistry to a generation of Cherokee High School students and was very proud of their achievements in the education, science and medical fields. She was recognized as the STAR Teacher at Cherokee High School in 1971 and in 1985 received the Outstanding Instructional Supervisor Award from the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders. Mrs. Donley was also active in community activities in Cherokee County for many years. She was a devoted member of Canton First United Methodist Church since the late 1940's, serving as a Sunday School teacher for many years and in many other service and leadership positions. She was most proud of her service on three different building committees for the church between 1992 and 2005. She was also a member of the Cherokee County Retired Educators Association, the Gamma Eta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society for women educators, and the Laurel Garden Club. She was a lifetime member of the state and national Association of Garden Clubs. She is survived by two children, David Donley III of Canton, Mary Green and her husband Michael of Alpharetta, by her three much-loved grandsons, Jason Donley and Evan Green of Canton and Will Green of Alpharetta, by two sisters-in-law, Sarah Doss of Tifton and Betty Doss of Seattle, WA and by several nieces and nephews. The Funeral will be Sunday, August 21, 2005 at Canton First United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held at Sosebee Funeral Home on Saturday, August 20 from 2:00-5:00 PM and 7:00 PM-9:00 PM. Memorial contributions may be made in Mrs. Donley's memory to the Building Fund of Canton First United Methodist Church. Sosebee Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.