Donald Lawrence Sessions

McDonald (Donald) Lawrence Sessions, 79, of Marietta, GA died on Friday, March 10, 2017. Mr. Sessions was born on February 9, 1938 in Marietta, GA to the late Lee M. Sessions and Mary Lawrence Sessions. He was named after Charles James McDonald, Governor of Georgia in the early 1840s. After his parents died, Donald lived in the house they had built on Whitlock Avenue for more than 30 years. He attended the Atlanta Speech School, the Central Institute for the Deaf in St Louis, Mo., and the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring, Ga. Donald's business career spanned 26 years at Lockheed Corporation. Donald was married to Dale Sessions from 1984 until her death in 2003. They loved to travel and were active in the Crusselle Freeman Church for the Deaf in Atlanta and St. James Episcopal Church in Marietta where Donald was an acolyte for 50 years. The Lawrence Chapel at St. James is named after the Lawrence family. Donald enjoyed each and every day, especially his family, his church, the fire department, baseball rooting for the Atlanta Braves and the St Louis Cardinals, and trains. Donald's grandfather, Marion McDonald Lawrence, introduced him to the fire department as a young boy. While he could not hear the sirens and bells, he could feel the vibrations and experience the excitement of the trucks racing through town. He kept meticulous records of each fire and had an encyclopedic knowledge of memorable fires in the area. Before computers, Donald’s records included the number of firemen and hoses and the volume of water poured and served as the repository of information for the department when needed. Throughout the baseball season, Donald would watch every Braves game on TV and keep track of all box scores. He was also a St. Louis Cardinals fan and would often question his brother Lee about who played first base in the 1955 World Series or other similar arcane baseball statistic. Such was his knowledge he could quote from memory players, positions, batting averages and game scores. One of his most exciting moments was being asked by the Braves to serve as an honorary captain for a game standing at home plate with the umpires and meeting the captain of the opposing team. He proudly displayed the photo in his apartment which is filled with baseball memorabilia and fire department mementos. His love for trains developed when he was a young boy and traveled to St Louis to attend the school for the deaf there. He could feel the vibrations of the train as it rolled along cementing his fondness for trains. This led to an elaborate model train set in his childhood home that he enjoyed. When family members would visit in Marietta by train, Donald would announce the arrival of the train well before anyone saw or heard it by feeling the train tracks for vibrations and the oncoming train would appear later. He and his brother, Lee, would often spend time in downtown Marietta watching trains roll through town. Donald seemed to know everyone in Marietta as he made his daily rounds visiting and talking with friends in every walk of life. He enjoyed telling stories, playing jokes on family and friends and was one of the best at teasing in a playful manner. The deaf community was up until his death a source of great friends and support and love and caring. He maintained friendships from early childhood in St Louis to his later years in life. Friends and family were a constant in Donald's life. Donald's family was a constant source of pride for him. He proudly would point out the streets in Marietta named after the family: Sessions, Lawrence, and McDonald Streets, to name a few. A governor, mayor, bishops and ministers were all part of the family legacy that meant so much to Donald. He spent afternoons teaching his younger brother, Lee, how to play baseball and how to read lips, and, due to their age difference, was almost a second father. Lee’s sons, Lee III, Kevin, and Landon and their children brought him great joy and happiness. Three simple phrases were always on his tongue. “I am fine. Do not worry about me. Thank you, thank you.” These are the words of a good man, happy through any situation, dealing with life as it happened, and always facing today and tomorrow with a smile and never a word of complaint. He was predeceased in death by his mother and father, Mary Lawrence Sessions and Lee M. Sessions, his wife Dale Knox Sessions. He is survived by his brother, Lee M. Sessions, Jr, and his wife Helen; nephew Lee M. Session, III, his wife Fran, and their children, Frances and Belle; nephew Kevin M. Sessions, his wife Meg, and their children, Weslyn, Charlie, and Rosemary; and nephew Landon H. Sessions. The family would like to thank Jamonda Wise Grant for her loving support and all she did for Donald Sessions. Visitation will be 4:00 to 6:30 pm Wednesday at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home. The memorial service and celebration of Donald's life will be 11:00 am Thursday at St James Episcopal Church with a private family burial service at St James Episcopal Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Donald Lawrence Sessions to Atlanta Speech School, 3160 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30327 or Lawrence Chapel at St. James Episcopal Church, 161 Church St., Marietta, GA 30060.

Donald Lawrence Sessions

February 9, 1938 - March 10, 2017