James Weaver Corley Jr.

James Weaver Corley, Jr. (Jim, Jimmy), age 94, died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of March 26, 2017, at his home in Marietta, Georgia. Jim Corley was born on April 22, 1922, in Greenville, South Carolina, to James Weaver Corley and Rowena Hawkins Corley. He was the oldest of three brothers, followed by William Hawkins Corley and Thomas Anderson Corley. The family lived in Selma, Alabama, before settling in Marietta in 1931. They were members of First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, where Jim had perfect Sunday school attendance until he enlisted in the Army in World War II. Jim Corley graduated from Marietta High School, where he was literary editor of The Pitchfork and was voted “Most Intellectual” in his class of 1938. After graduating from Emory University with a degree in political science (1942), he served in the Army. He then attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Public Administration (now the Kennedy School of Government) on a fellowship and received a Master’s degree in government. Jim worked for the Veterans Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), always in the field of human resources. He retired from the IRS after forty years as a civil servant. He also retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve. Jim had a love of history and met his wife, Florrie Fleming Corley, at a seminar at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park. It was love at first sight that grew and endured through 61 years of marriage and raising five children. They shared journeys to every continent of the world, seeing the sights from Antarctica to India to China. Jim’s volunteer life was rich and varied. He was a deacon and then a longtime elder at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta. He chaired the Church History Committee that wrote God at Work, a History of First Presbyterian Church from 1835-2000. He and Florrie were beloved teachers in the 3rd grade Sunday school class for over 30 years, hosting special Christmas parties at their home to see the big tree. Jim also enjoyed reading stories and planning activities for the church’s after-school program, Club 3:30. Jim skillfully read novels and news for the blind as part of the Georgia Radio Reading Service (GaRRS), where he was known for the best Southern accent. Jim loved to garden and arrange flowers. He was a Georgia Master Gardener Extension volunteer for over twenty years. At the Atlanta Botanical Garden he conducted tours and volunteered at the Plant Hotline, a call-in service. He was the Atlanta Botanical Garden Volunteer of the Year in 1999 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Jim and Florrie Corley were founding members of the Board of Trustees of Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society when it was organized in 1974 and served as co-chairs in 1985, 1986, and 1988. Jim served as coordinator of the group that oversaw the moving and restoration of the Root House. The Corley Award is given yearly in honor of the couple. Jim loved spending time with family. Camping trips were great adventures with five children in a Volkswagen bus. The generations continued to enjoy each other at weekly Sunday dinners and especially at Pawleys Island, where all the grandchildren could play together. As a husband, brother, Papa, grandfather, and now great-grandfather, Jim Corley was beloved by all. He is survived by his wife, Florence Fleming Corley (Florrie); brother, Thomas Anderson Corley (Eolyne); children, Florrie Corley Johnson (Jim), James Weaver Corley III (Carolyn), Anne Corley Herbert (Jack), Sarah Virginia Corley (Neil Peterson), and William Thomas Corley; grandchildren, Alice Johnson DeSimone (Justin), Charles Weldon Johnson, James Weaver Corley IV, Carolyn Cater Corley, Emily Hart Herbert, Eva Caroline Peterson, and Daniel Hale Peterson; and great-granddaughter, River Serenity DeSimone. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta on Friday, March 31, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be Thursday, March 30, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home, 180 Church Street, Marietta, Georgia. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society (65 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, Georgia 30064) or First Presbyterian Church (189 Church Street, Marietta, Georgia 30060).

James Weaver Corley Jr.

April 22, 1922 - March 26, 2017