Sandy Springs Chapel Funeral Directors
Glenda Finley Willis, age 84, passed away in Atlanta on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
Glenda was born on December 15, 1938 in Rome, GA. The daughter of the late Lorene and William "Polk" Finley. She graduated from Rome High School in 1956, where she was an active member of the band. She continued her education at the University of Georgia where she was a member of the ZTA sorority and Red Coat Marching Band. She graduated with High Honors and a B.S. Bus. Ed and later received a Masters in Education from the University of West Georgia.
She dedicated her life to teaching, serving more than 50 years in the classroom. Her teaching career started in 1960 at Garden Lakes Elementary School, teaching English to 6th and 7th grade students. From here she went into the Rome City Schools and taught business education, then spent the majority of her teaching career in the Floyd County Education System, primarily at Coosa High School, where she taught typing and shorthand in the business department. She transitioned to teaching computers in the 1980's and moved into the Coosa Valley Vocational School Programs. After sharing her gift of education with thousands of children, she retired from the Floyd County School Systems in 1996. However, this was not the end of her teaching as she continued her mission in Atlanta at Woodward School and finished her career by teaching English as a second language within the Gwinnett Technical College System for the corrections program and inmate system.
In addition to teaching, Glenda loved travel and music. She was curious to explore new places for herself and also had a strong desire to expose her students to new places and experiences. In one of her retirement letters, she quoted one of her favorites Charles Kuralt, "I would like to take every train leaving the station" and added "there is much adventure and beauty in life, I have been blessed to have already enjoyed much of it, and I look forward to enjoying more!" Her travels are well documented throughout European countries, and later in life she extended her travels to Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and Israel. When not traveling, one of her favorite ways to relax was to play the piano. She never lived in a house without a piano and played regularly, at all hours of the day. Favorite requests by family and friends were Beethoven's Fur Elise and Floyd Cramer's last date. There is an everlasting memory of her swaying on the piano bench while playing her favorites with her poodle Precious resting beside her. She was a member of many volunteer groups and associations throughout her life, including the National Education Association, Georgia Association of Educators, Serendipity, Toastmasters International, and the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church.
Glenda was a devoted mother, grandmother and recently became a great grandmother. She was married to William Spencer "Greasy" Willis from 1959-1988. She adored her children and grandchildren and was known as "Gigi" by the grandchildren. Survivors include her son Derek Willis (Ashley, Spencer, CJ, Rosie, Sam), all of Charleston SC , and Van Willis (Mary Katherine, William, Andrew, Kate) all of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by her brother, Bill Finley (Justine, Anita, Robert, Leslie) of Rome, GA.
The family will have a private celebration of life service. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in Glenda's honor to the Second Ponce De Leon Baptist Church (https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/secondponce) or to the Chief Vann House Historic Site located at 82 Highway 225 N, Chatsworth, GA 30705.
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http://www.romenews-tribune.com
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