Mrs. Laura Dooley Grafton

Mrs. Laura Dooley Grafton, loving wife and mother, passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter in Ellijay on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Born October 2, 1940, she was the daughter of the late Ben and Margaret Smith Dooley.  She joined her oldest brother Roy, sister, Mary Catherine, and brother, Ben.  Later the family would grow to include Linda and finally the twins, Fred and Lee.  She married her precious husband, Aubre on December 20, 1958, and they celebrated 64 wonderful, loving years together.  Laura attended Tom’s Creek Baptist Church during her childhood and after marriage, she and Aubre became long time faithful members at Sunnyside Baptist Church where she enjoyed singing in the choir, participating in the WMU, and sharing the love of God with all those around her.  She also taught Preschool, was a Sunday School Teacher, Director of Meals on Wheels, coordinated Senior Adult activities and was involved in the Benevolence Committee of the Church.  Her Sunday School Class was like her second family and she cherished those friendships dearly.

Laura is the proud mother of two daughters, Lisa (Charles) Scott of Ellijay and Monica (Lindsey) Haralson of Hoschton.  She was also an adoring grandmother of Christina Scott Akins (David Bartlett) of Canton and James Aubre Haralson of Hoschton, as well as two great-grandchildren, Marissa Ivy Akins and Charles Levi Akins.  Laura also loved her bonus grands and great-grands who would join the family, Ryan and Cory Haralson and Kaylee and Emma Deyton.  She is also survived by her brothers and sisters, Mary Catherine Richards, Ben (Betty) Dooly, Fred (Mary) Dooley, and Lee (Woodson) McFarlin; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, C. W. Capes, Florence Grafton, Linda (Michael) Whitfield, Lynn Grafton, Roger (Donna) Grafton, and Wayne (Karel) Grafton; numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and a multitude of friends.

Laura was preceded in death by her parents, Ben and Margaret Dooley; brother, sister, and in-laws, Roy (Rachel) Dooley, Linda (Hoke) Blakely, Jack Richards, Frances Capes, Mary (Bethel) Crunkleton, J. P. Grafton, Jr., Elizabeth (Sid) Jarrett, Phil Grafton, and Hal Grafton.

The family will receive friends at the mortuary from 11 am until 1:30 pm Friday, June 2, 2023.

Funeral services will be held two o’clock Friday, June 2, 2023, at Sunnyside Baptist Church with the Dr. Jesse Colbert and the Rev. Jerrell Beatty officiating.

Entombment will follow at Stephens Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.

Charles Scott, Lindsey Haralson, James Haralson, David Bartlett, Levi Akins, and Jason Grafton will serve as pallbearers.

Laura’s Sunday School Class, The Willing Workers, will serve as honorary pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, P. O. Box 525 Vidalia, GA 30475 (payh.org) or to Sunnyside Baptist Church, 1154 Mize Road, Toccoa, GA 30577.

The family would like to give special thanks to Dee Dee Blakley, Wayne and Karel Grafton, Natasha Watkins, Amanda Landrum, Clary Care Center, Willow Brook Hospice – Lori, Laura, Ashley, Christine, Chaplain Chris, Sarah and Peri, the staff at Northside Hospital – Cherokee, and Stephens County Hospital for the excellent care given to their mother.

Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers and sign the online guestbook at www.whitlockmortuary.net

Whitlock Mortuary, Funerals and Cremations is honored to be serving the family of Mrs. Laura Dooley Grafton.