inDECATUR

Donald Boyd Clegg

Forwarded by Marcus Googer from Gail Ansley Le Zontier, DHS ‘66

Mr. Donald Boyd Clegg, 95, of Tucker, formerly of Decatur, died Saturday, July 4, 2009.

He was a graduate of Decatur Boys High and attended Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and Woodrow Wilson Law School. Mr. Clegg was a special agent with the FBI for eight years. He was treasurer of Wade Motor Co., and retired as Vice President from Decatur Federal in 1978. Mr. Clegg was an active member of Decatur First United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife Josie S. Clegg and grandson Jason Clegg. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Hunter of Marietta; son, Christopher B. Clegg of Tucker; grandchildren, Tracy Hunter Hove and Lauren Hunter, formerly of Marietta and David Clegg of Colorado Springs, CO.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 P. M. Saturday, July 11, 2009 in the chapel of A. S. Turner & Sons with Bishop L. Bevel Jones officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mr. Clegg's memory to Decatur First United Methodist Church; 300 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030. The family will receive friends 2:00 to 3:00 P.M. prior to the service on Saturday. A. S. Turner & Sons (404) 292-1551.

Barbara Nettles, 48

By Holly Crenshaw, AJC

Barbara Nettles organized neighborhood picnics, volunteered at local schools and helped out at church charity events.

She was there when others needed her, but she wasn’t one to wave a flag over her accomplishments, her husband said.

“Barbara was kind of a facilitator for getting things done, but she didn’t like being the headliner,” said Jim Nettles of Decatur. “That’s why she liked working with people who would sometimes be the more charismatic leader type.

“She was everybody’s best cheerleader, the kind of person where you felt like you were really supported by her,” said her husband.

Barbara Jean Gaby Nettles, 48, of Decatur died of cancer Saturday at Emory University Hospital. The body was cremated. The memorial service is 4 p.m. Friday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. A. S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

Amy Lakide, 90, porcelain painter

By Rick Badie, AJC:

There often was a waiting list to get into Amy Lakides’ art classes. The Australian-born porcelain painter, who initially had a studio on Howell Mill Road, attracted students from across the Southeast.

In the early 1970s, Vera Ables Gandy and three lady friends would drive to Atlanta from Rome to take lessons from an artist who gave lectures, seminars and demonstrations around the world.

“It was very hard to get into her classes,” said Mrs. Gandy, who eventually moved to Atlanta and befriended Lakides. “You couldn’t get in when she first moved to Atlanta. I later became a teacher of porcelain art, thanks to her. We spent many Saturdays together painting and shopping. We had a special bond.”

Amy M. Lakides, 90, of Decatur died Feb. 5 from complications of heart failure at Hospice Atlanta. The funeral will be 2 p.m. March 1 at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Cremation Society of Georgia is in charge of arrangements.

Al King, 92, landscape designer

Rick Badie @ AJC writes:

In the 1950s, anybody in Georgia could say they were a landscape architect.

Training and experience didn’t matter. They could show up, hang out a sign, and go to work.

Al King thought that belittled his profession, one he studied in college. He wrote a bill that set requirements for landscape architects to work in the state. He and then-Rep. Garland Byrd ushered the legislation through the General Assembly.

“Daddy help set up the credentials,” said his son, Robert I. King of Johns Creek. “Before that bill, anybody could go out and start putting down plats.”

Alexander “Al” D. King, 92, of Decatur died Friday at Lanier Park Hospital from complications of a heart attack. The funeral is 1 p.m. today at Decatur First United Methodist Church. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. King’s career in landscape architecture spanned more than six decades. As a partner and private business owner, he helped build and design subdivisions across DeKalb County such as Sagamore Hills and Toney Valley.

John Stowe, 56, teacher, lover of nature

Phil Kloer @ AJC writes:

Plenty of people plant trees. Few showed the commitment of John Stowe, who not only planted hundreds of them in metro Atlanta, but for a few years in his 30s changed his name to Yarrow Treefriend.

“He was one of the earliest pioneers of environmentalism; we were keeping mulch piles in the mid-’70s,” said Tom Sechrest of Austin, Texas, his former college roommate and longtime friend. “He was about living in harmony with the Earth.”

At various times, and sometimes simultaneously, Mr. Stowe was a lecturer at Georgia State University —- where he taught English as a second language —- massage therapist, professional chef, natural healer and author.

Mr. Stowe, of Decatur, collapsed while walking Tuesday in downtown Atlanta on break between Georgia State classes, and he died of a heart attack. He was 56.

His body has been cremated. A memorial service is planned for 4:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Friends Meeting House, 701 W. Howard Ave., Decatur. A.S. Turner & Sons of Decatur is handling arrangements.

As news of his death spread, some of his students set up a Facebook tribute, “On the Reminiscence of John Stowe.” By Saturday, more than 150 people had signed on. Many of his students expressed shock and grief at his death.

Stowe was known among his students for having groups for big parties out to the house he shared in Decatur with his partner of 25 years, Monty Schuth.

Jack Kyle, Jr made, sold Pork Rinds NE of Decatur

By Rick Badie, AJC:

Pork skins were good to Jack Kyle Jr. He made a career out of manufacturing and distributing the crackly snack across the Southeast.

His association with pork skins started in the early 1950s when he worked at Atlanta-based Bullock’s Manufacturing Co. Years later, he struck out on his own, opening Dixie Snack Foods in Decatur off Scott Boulevard. Dixie produced and distributed potato chips, corn chips, cheese puffs and pork rinds.

The business was a family affair.

“All of us, at one time or another, worked for my father in the snack business —- either in sales, warehouse or freight,” said son William Curtis Kyle of Snellville. “The first George Bush said [pork rinds] were his favorite snack.”

John Curtis “Jack” Kyle Jr., 77, of Winder died Sunday of prostate cancer at home. The memorial service will be noon Friday at Grayson United Methodist Church. Tim Stewart Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JoAnn Scott, 73, "Sunshine Girl"

JoAnn Scott was one of the “Sunshine Girls.”

It was a group of about a dozen women who, in the words of relatives, “grew up Decatur.” They graduated from Decatur High School decades ago and remained tight-knit through the years. They often gathered to play bridge, swap stories and sip wine. Friends.

“Everybody marvels at the fact that my parents still hung out with the people they went to elementary and high school together, right there in Decatur,” said her eldest daughter, Leigh Ann Sadler of Decatur.

“Ever since I was a little girl, [Mrs. Scott] has played bridge with this group. As they got older, they did a lot more than play bridge. We dubbed them the Sunshine Girls —- a take on [the TV series] ‘Hazel.’ “

Charles Scott, her husband of 51 years, said the group eventually started traveling together —- Fernandina Beach, Fla.; Hiawassee; and different spots along the East Coast. He estimates the Sunshine Girls have known each other for about five decades.

“They were very close,” her husband said. “They all have been by within the last day or so.”

JoAnn Dodson Scott, 73, of Decatur died Thursday at her home. The funeral is 11 a.m. today [presumed Monday] at Decatur Presbyterian Church. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

RB | AJC | 2/2/2009

Tim Bentley, 55 -- a life of politics, journalism, and public policy

Tim Bentley didn’t live long enough to see President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

The dyed-in-the-wool Democrat died Jan. 11 after hanging onto every bit of political news throughout the long election season.

“He was extremely, extremely happy with the election of Obama,” said his brother, Mike Bentley of Blanco, Texas. “He was really wrapped up in the campaign, and at least he got to see that.”

Mr. Bentley lived and breathed politics from the time he was a teenager.

He served as president of the Young Democrats of Georgia and tromped through the New Hampshire snow in 1976 as a member of Jimmy Carter’s Peanut Brigade.

“He was married a few times,” his brother said, “but politics was his mistress. It probably cost him all three of his marriages.”

Tim Bentley, 55, died in his sleep at his mother’s Decatur residence. He had been ill for several years with pulmonary disease.

The body was cremated. At his request, there were no services. A.S. Turner & Sons was in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Bentley built his life and career around politics, journalism and public policy.

He worked for former Gov. Zell Miller, the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson and former Georgia Secretary of State Max Cleland. “I never would have gotten elected to the Secretary of State’s office or to the U.S. Senate without Tim Bentley because he knew Georgia and he knew Georgia politics,” said Mr. Cleland of Atlanta. “He was young and talented and I saw that and made him campaign manager, and we became fast friends.”

Mr. Bentley wrote and edited for Georgia Times, the Georgia Capitol Report and Business to Business, and contributed freelance articles to Georgia Trend, the Fulton County Daily Report, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and other publications.

HC | AJC | 1/21/2009

Laura Karen Brinkley, 55

Laura Karen Brinkley, 55, of Decatur, Georgia, entered the church triumphant on Friday, January 9, 2009, dearly loved and supported by her family and many friends.

Beautiful wording!

Laura was born in Columbia, SC, being one of three children of the devoted family of Charles A. and Gwendolyn B. Brinkley. She graduated from A.C. Flora High School, and received a degree from the University of South Carolina and was employed by ING Investments in Atlanta. Laura was a member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and an active member of the Single Horizon Sunday school class and served as a Stephens Minister. Her passion was in traveling and spending time out doors with friends, bird watching, or just being a part of the beauty that surrounded her.

She is survived by her mother, Gwendolyn B. Brinkley of Columbia, her brother and his wife, Christopher A. and Teresa J. Brinkley, and two nephews Christopher M. Brinkley and Charles A. Brinkley of Irmo, SC.

There will be a memorial service at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta on Monday January 12, at 1:00 p.m., followed by a funeral service at Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Columbia, SC, on Wednesday January 14, 2009, at 1:00 pm. The family will receive visitors immediately following the services at the church. Memorial donations may be made in Laura’s honor to the American Cancer Society, Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, or Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Columbia, SC. Arrangements by Cremation Society of the South in Marietta, GA. 770-420-5557.

The State

Julie Hix, 41, Avondale Estates

"Julia “Julie” Hix didn’t let anything stand in her way when she wanted to try something new —- whether it was tap-dancing, raising goats or traveling to Europe alone.

Last year, while she was ill with cancer, she bought a cheap, last-minute flight to Italy and took a solo trip around that country.

“She had always wanted to go, and it was important to her. She didn’t know if she had six months, and she didn’t know how long she would be feeling good,” said her sister Gwen Hix of Vinings.

Julie Hix, 41, of Avondale Estates, died Sunday of cancer at Hospice Atlanta.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at All Souls Fellowship Church in Decatur. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements."

KT | AJC | 1/1/2009