Mrs. Dorothy Nell Carlile

Dorothy Nell Sanders (Carlile) was born in 1931 in Felton, Georgia, a small community in west Georgia. Born during the Depression in a time when opportunities for women were slim, she had a few things in her favor: parents who valued education and supportive extended family and friends nearby. The fourth of five children, Dorothy was always a big reader. As a child she always offered to churn butter because she could churn and read at the same time. Her parents, Lonnie Julius Sanders and Flora Heath Sanders, farmed, and all the children were expected to work on the farm after school and on Saturdays. Dorothy had not-so-fond memories of picking cotton, but that was the family’s cash crop and everyone had to pitch in. She and her sister, Louise, picked wild berries to sell so they could buy their school clothes. The two sisters became fast friends as they both grew older and the five-year age gap between them mattered less. Encouraged by her mother, Dorothy applied to Berry College after graduating high school. At that time, all students at Berry worked for their room, board, and tuition. Dorothy, a shy and level-headed young woman, was assigned to work in the college kitchen: a plumb job because that’s where the boys ate. She’d been told not to talk to the boys, and she didn’t. This made her irresistible, and the boys referred to her as “the girl who doesn’t have a name.” Dorothy attended Berry for two years, went to West Georgia College for one year, and completed her degree in elementary education at Oglethorpe University. Dorothy and her sister, Louise, helped each other through college: one would teach for a semester and send money to the other sister, who was taking courses. Both eventually earned education degrees and became teachers. Their mother was especially proud of her two girls who finished college and “taught school.” Aunts and uncles who had moved to Cobb County suggested that Dorothy come and apply for teaching positions there. She took a job teaching fourth grade at what is now John McEachern High School. In the 1950s, McEachern offered classes from first grade through high school. The single teachers could live on campus, and Dorothy stayed in what is now Russell Hall along with several other women teachers. That’s where she made several lifelong friendships with women such as Winifred Pyles (Adair), Elsie Williams (Owenby), and Ann Greenway (Varner). During this time, she began attending McEachern United Methodist Church, which would be her church home for the rest of her life. At a basketball game, she caught the eye of a McEachern graduate named Clinton Carlile. They met up eventually at a local restaurant, began dating, and married a few years later. Several of her teacher friends also married “local boys,” and they all took part in a Sunday School class at McEachern Methodist that spanned decades. Dorothy and Clint had two children, David and Jennifer, and one grandson, Joseph (David’s son). Dorothy and Clint both retired in their 50s—Dorothy from the Cobb County School System, and Clint from Lockheed Georgia. Retirement was filled with volunteer work, their grandson, church, and family and friends. Dorothy never met a yard sale she didn’t like, and she “hit the sales” every Saturday morning with Winnie Adair. She also spent a lot of time with her sister, Louise Christian, going to yard sales and thrift stores. Dorothy was an avid and talented gardener. Her azaleas are so beautiful that a family friend once said her yard looked like a beautiful golf course. A composter before it was cool, Dorothy trained her family to save vegetable scraps and coffee grounds for the garden. She also made sure there was plenty of food and water for the birds who flocked to her yard. She was in excellent health until 2023, when a fall resulted in a broken pelvis and necessitated additional, daily care. The family is so grateful to the wonderful team of home health workers who cared for Dorothy this past year and a half and for the hospice team who provided additional care this past month. Dorothy lived a full and happy life, and is undoubtedly reunited with her beloved family and friends who have gone before her. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Clinton D. Carlile; her children, David and Jennifer Carlile; grandson Joseph Carlile; several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents; her four siblings, Othelia Sanders, O’Doyle Sanders, Doyce Sanders, and Louise Christian; many dear aunts, uncles, and cousins; and countless lifelong friends. Funeral services will be held on January 23, 2 p.m. at McEachern United Methodist Church, 4075 Macland Rd., Powder Springs, GA 30127. Visitation is at 1 pm, also January 23, at Mayes Ward Dobbins Funeral Home, 3940 Macland Rd. in Powder Springs.

Mrs. Dorothy Nell Carlile

July 28, 1931 - January 16, 2025