Marie Elodie Simmons

Marie Elodie LeBas Simmons passed on Sunday, July 1st , 2007 at Sunrise of Decatur Senior Living after a long illness. Marie devoted her life to education, children and family. Marie was born on September 24th, 1941, in Savannah, GA to Gertrude Kelly of Waverly, GA and Clemons Maurice LeBas of Ville Platte, LA. Marie was the eldest of 3 children. Her family moved to Jacksonville, FL in 1951, where she graduated from Bishop Kenny High School, class of 1959. Marie began college at Florida State in 1959 before transferring to Jacksonville University in 1962. She graduated with highest honors in 1973, majoring in sociology. Her college career required 3 breaks, one in 1960 for marriage, one in 1963 for birth of her daughter, and one in 1966 for birth of her son. Her new family then moved to Orlando, FL in 1975 while she spent much of her time in Jacksonville, completing graduate school at the University of North Florida and receiving her Masters Degree in Counseling in 1976. In 1977, her family moved to Doraville, GA and shortly thereafter into the city limits of Atlanta, where she spent the remainder of her days. Marie worked as a caseworker for Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services and as a counselor for Anneewakee Adolescent Treatment Center for girls, before joining Grady Memorial Hospital as a child and adolescent therapist in 1981. She rose to the position of child and adolescent psychiatry program manager and continued until illness pulled her away in 2004. She is survived by her former husband, James Thomas Simmons; daughter and son, Kelly Marie Miller and Jeffrey David Simmons; son-in-law Jack Miller; sister, Clare Stringer and brother-in-law, John Stringer; brother Joseph LeBas and sister-in-Law, Edie LeBas. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews, good friends, and best friend Mary Ann Powell. Memorial services will be held Saturday, July 7th, 2007 at 2:00 pm at A.S. Turner & Sons Chapel, 2773 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA 30033. There will be a Family visitation at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions, in Marie's name, can be made to Crossroads Hospice Foundation, 1957 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 500, Tucker GA 30084 or Georgia Parent Support Network, 1381 Metropolitan Parkway, Atlanta GA 30310. A. S. Turner & Sons