Mary Hilley Sizemore

Mary Emma Hilley Sizemore, age 94 of Atlanta, GA, died Tuesday, April 15, 2008. She was the daughter of Melmon Pharr Hilley and Irene Jeffares Hilley.  She is survived by her four children, Julia Irene Sizemore Peters of Beaufort, SC, Thomas Austin Sizemore III and his wife Lucia of Stone Mountain, Mary Gayle Sizemore Thomas of Marietta, and John Melmon Sizemore and his wife Lisa of Asheville, NC, ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Born in Atlanta on March 3, 1914, Mary and her family moved to Greenville, SC, when she was a girl.  Mary graduated from Greenville High School in 1931 and began college at Limestone College in Gaffney, SC. There she excelled in French and made life-long friends.  The Great Depression interrupted her education when family circumstances required that she return to Greenville and find work as a secretary. It was there that she met and married Thomas Austin Sizemore, Jr., of Greenville. After Julia Irene and Thomas A. Sizemore III were born, the young family moved to Salisbury, NC, where they lived for 13 years and added Mary Gayle Sizemore and John Melmon Sizemore to their family.  An active volunteer in the community, Mary was a regular Red Cross volunteer at the hospital during and after World War II. Mary and her family moved to Decatur in 1955 where she spent the remainder of her life.  Following her retirement as bookkeeper for Wiggins Associates in Atlanta, Mary took a clown course and began to entertain her grandchildren in costume at family gatherings. Her love of people and adventure led to People to People exchanges to England, and to travel with family and friends.  Her travel photos often translated into paintings in her art class back home.  Wherever she landed, Mary's infectious humor and fun-loving spirit won new friends.  Her optimism and sense of humor, her warmth and acceptance of others endeared her to all who knew her. When macular degeneration and a detached retina limited her ability to drive, Mary moved to King's Bridge Retirement Center "so she could be around people without having to drive anywhere." An avid bridge player, Mary joined every bridge group at King's Bridge, playing five or six times a week. Always a bright spirit Mary enjoyed a myriad of activities offered by her new community. She made many new friends and enjoyed regular visits with her children and grandchildren.  In honor of her 90th birthday, her family took her back to South Carolina for Alumni Day at Limestone College, where they celebrated  the creation of the Mary Hilley Sizemore Scholarship Fund at Limestone "to assist qualified students in circumstances that otherwise might prevent them from completing their college education."  Mary requested that her remains be cremated; a memorial service will be held at Decatur Presbyterian Church on Saturday morning, May 3, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception following in the Church Parlor.  In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial gifts be made to the Mary Hilley Scholarship Fund at Limestone College, 1115 College Drive, Gaffney, SC 29340, or to Decatur Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, 205 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030.