Sam P. Hensley Sr

SAM P. HENSLEY, SR., 87, of Marietta, passed away on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. He was born on January 5, 1932, in Smyrna, Georgia, to the late Cicero Paul Hensley and Ober Penland Hensley. Sam attended Marietta High School, where he excelled in athletics and was voted Mr. Marietta High School. He was recruited by Coach Bobby Dodd to play football at Georgia Tech, where he was named Co-Captain and helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 1952 National Championship. He was named All-American that year by the Football Yearbook. Sam was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League and the Edmonton Eskimoes in the Canadian Football League. After a short stint playing professional football, Sam returned home to Marietta to marry his high school sweetheart, Iris Antley. Sam served in the United States Army at Fort Belvoir in Washington, D. C., and then opened a civil engineering firm, Hensley & Associates, which later became Hensley-Schmidt, Inc., with his brother Marble John Hensley in Marietta. During a long career as a civil engineer, Sam helped plan and implement the infrastructure of roads, water and sewer systems, and airports that served Cobb County and much of Georgia to this day. The firm also designed projects throughout the Southeast and internationally. Sam later obtained a law degree and was deeply involved in Cobb County politics. In 1966, he was elected to the Georgia Senate and chaired the Highway Committee for two terms. After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress, Sam was again elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1986, this time to the House of Representatives. Sam also served for many years on the Board of Kennestone Hospital and later the WellStar Health System, which he chaired. Sam was active in the First Baptist Church of Marietta, where he served as a Deacon and taught Sunday School. Sam was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 47 years, Iris, who founded and directed The Georgia Ballet. He is survived by three children, Sam, Jr., Nevanne, and Shuler, and six grandchildren, Hannah, Skyler, Grayson, Annie, Jessie, and Harper. A memorial service will be held for Sam at the First Baptist Church of Marietta, on Saturday, July 20, at 11:00 a.m. The family will receive friends at the Mayes-Ward Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta on Thursday, July 18, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations either to The Georgia Ballet, Inc., or the WellStar Foundation

Sam P. Hensley Sr

January 5, 1932 - June 26, 2019