Mary Deese Hartley, 85, of Valdosta and Tifton entered into the open arms of Jesus Christ on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. She died from pneumonia in Northside Hospital-Cherokee in Canton. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, 2007, in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. Dr. Johnny Hunt will officiate with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Saturday, June 30, 2007, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals just prior to the service.
Mrs. Hartley was born in Monroe, North Carolina on May 7, 1922. Her children were with her at her passing, as she succumbed to double pneumonia.
Mrs. Hartley was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, former Tifton City Manager, Shell E. Hartley, Sr.; father, Thomas Alvin Deese, and mother, Arpie Elizabeth Boyd Deese, of Monroe, North Carolina and Johnston, South Carolina; brothers, Thomas Franklin Deese of North Augusta, South Carolina, and Robert Alvin Deese of Ridge Springs, South Carolina; sisters, Mildred Deese McGovern of Milford, Connecticut, Ethel Deese Walling of Columbia, South Carolina, and son-in-law, Roland “Ron” Filliat of Roswell.
Mary Hartley was an honorable and moral lady, who dedicated her life to her family. She was a lovely, statuesque brunette with sparkling brown eyes. She loved her home, her yard, and her oil paintings, which she painted after she was 50 years of age. She had human gifts of listening to and empathizing with others. As a child of the Great Depression, she had a compassionate heart for the underprivileged and was a volunteer worker with orphan children.
Mary graduated from Johnston, South Carolina High School, where she was captain of her State Champion Basketball Team and a member of the National Beta Club. After high school, she graduated from Draughon’s Business College in Columbia, South Carolina. She was recognized as an outstanding secretary within several military bases during World War II and, thereafter, she was praised for her thoroughness, organizational skills and pleasant attitude in other positions of employment.
Mary was a charming hostess to family and friends in her home. She was deeply loved by her family, who will greatly miss her. She was a dedicated Christian and gave witness to her love and faith in Jesus Christ, as is depicted in the following words, which she wrote regarding her funeral: “My family has always been my love and priority, next to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. There is no deeper loved than Christ’s.”
In addition to Mary’s three children, Shell “Buck” Hartley, of Tifton; Teresa Hartley Carswell of Woodstock, and Elizabeth Hartley Filliat of Roswell, Mary is survived by daughter-in-law, Letha Kvistad Hartley of Tifton; son-in-law, Eddie Carswell of Woodstock; grandchildren and great grandchildren, Chadwick Hartley and son, Christian, of St. Simons; Bradley Hartley and wife, Keylee Vance Hartley, and daughter, Kamie, of Valdosta; Kevin Hartley and wife, Stephanie Hartley and children, Amber and Brent Dupree of Lake City, Florida; Annette Filliat of Roswell; Jake Carswell and wife, Deanna Hunt Carswell, and children, Carson and Katie of Woodstock; Jennifer Carswell Haglof and husband, Luke Haglof, and daughter, Ella, of Arlington, Virginia; Stephanie Carswell Sims and Husband, Stuart Sims, of Marietta; and Stephen Carswell of Woodstock.