My mother, Donna Grant, age 94, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, April 16, 2020. She was born on February 27, 1926, in Long Beach, California, to Hart and Arlene Browne. She had one sister, Jean Arlene Browne Lee.
She fell in love with the love of her life, Robert (Bob) Dale Grant, a young, handsome American soldier returning from World War II. Her wedding dress was made from Bob's silk parachute and they married in Glendora, California, on March 8, 1947. They built their first home in Covina, California, where soon they started a family. Bob and Donna Grant were married for 51 years. Bob died on September 14, 1998.
While living in Covina they had three children, Gary Leigh Grant b. 2 April 1948, Larry Robert Grant b. 2 April 1948, and Mary Arlene Grant(me) b. 12 January 1959. My dad worked with Bekins Moving and Storage Company and in 1966 was transferred to Atlanta, Ga, to open up a Bekins office. At the time of the move I was only 7 and my brothers were much older and both begin their freshman year of college at the University of Georgia, in Athens, GA. Dad bought a house in Roswell, GA, a suburb, north of Atlanta. While I was in school my mother started teaching at the First Baptist Church of Roswell Preschool.
Gary Leigh Grant m. Gwen Ann Brittain 12 June 1970.
Chidren: Lori Ann Grant b 17 Jan 1975.
Robert (Robby) Allan Grant b. 4 July 1976.
Ryan Leigh Grant b. 14 Dec 1978.
Larry Robert Grant m. Sonya West 25 Jan 1969, m. Patte Hart
Chidren: Shannon Lynn Grant b. 14 Aug 1969(Sonya)
Brian Grant b. , Austin Grant b. 21 Apr 1992(Patte)
Mary Arlene Grant m. William Bradley Dunagan 10 June 1978.
Chidren: Leah Maeve Dunagan b. 13 Aug 1981.
Lindsey Marie Dunagan b. 31 Aug 1983.
Tyler Grant Dunagan b. 19 Mar 1986.
My dad retired from Bekins in 1984, after 30 plus years with the company. Mom and Dad sold their place in Roswell, the home I grew up in, and moved to Gainesville to be near my family. They lived with Brad and me before they bought a little cottage in a gated lake community called "Quiet Place in the Woods" where dad could keep his beloved pontoon boat.
It wasn't long before Donna was teaching school again. This time at the First Baptist Church of Gainesville. She continued teaching even after dad died, and well into her 80s. She was an amazing teacher and was recognized as "Master Teacher" when she retired after teaching for 51 years.
Throughout her 51 years of teaching, hundreds of children were blessed by her love and passion for teaching. She never forgot her students and remembered them long after they passed through her care. She was a loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt. She loved her family and was always sharing her photos with everyone. She devoted her life to her family.
Bob and Donna Grant have left a beautiful legacy to pass on to their children, 9 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.
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