BIO written by Alice Cummins Bush, first child of Mary Alice McDowell Cummins, with contributions by Dessau7, loving Daughter-in-Law.
On Saturday, December 26, 2015 Mary Alice Cummins, 82, passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her illness was short and her passing sudden. She “died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.” 1 Chronicles 29:28. Those who knew her enjoyed her generosity, kindness and quirky sense of humor.
Mary Alice was born in Augusta, GA on July 24, 1933, the second of two children born to Dr. David Franklin McDowell (1901 - 1973) and Leona Inez Turner (1901 - 1989). She was the Granddaughter of Charles Birch McDowell (1880 - 1966) and Nellie Lou Ella Tomlin (1877 - 1962). Mary Alice was the Great Granddaughter of Samuel George McDowell (1855 - 1925) and Minnehaha J Birch (1858 - 1948).
Her early years were spent in Chapel Hill, NC where her father earned his PhD in Foreign Languages. Upon graduation, Dr. McDowell moved his little family to Atlanta, GA where he taught Spanish and ultimately served as Chair of the Dept. of Foreign Languages at Georgia State University. Mary Alice's childhood was filled with a multitude of diverse interests. She cultivated her love of literature, ballet, and music, and they became life-long passions. Mary Alice played the piano beautifully, enjoyed writing poems and children's stories, and she adored playing word games. She was a prolific reader of all genre, loved sharing jokes and riddles, and spent hours putting pen-to-paper in letter-writing to family and friends, with envelopes literally bulging with “clippings” cut out with each recipient's personal interests in mind. Mary Alice loved to take walks, enjoying nature in all its forms, especially small woodland creatures. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, and showered them with books of all kinds!
Mary Alice graduated from Decatur Girls High School in 1950. Awarded a full scholarship to Agnes Scott College, she completed one year before transferring to the University of Georgia. During college, she met her future husband, a Georgia Institute of Technology student, William F Cummins, III. Bill and Mary Alice married in 1954 and eventually moved to Livermore, California where Bill was employed as a Nuclear Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Their marriage resulted in three children. Upon their divorce in 1970, Mary Alice and her children returned to Decatur, GA. She was a full-time employee for the State of Georgia while attending night classes. After studying diligently for several years, she received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia State University in 1976.
Mary Alice moved to Wesley Woods Towers in 2004 and was very active in her community for eleven years. Believing her mission in life was to visit the sick at Emory University's Budd Terrace Rehab Center, Mary Alice devoted nearly every day to that end - taking cards, flowers, gifts, and sharing Christian devotions. Mary Alice was an active member of Decatur First Methodist Church for many years and a devoted attendee of Christian services at Wesley Woods. She loved the Lord and wished all to know His forgiveness, love and mercy.
Mary Alice McDowell Cummins was predeceased by her parents and her ex-husband. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, her brother David F McDowell, Jr., and extended family. A Celebration of Life service was held Monday, January 4, 2016 at Wesley Woods Towers, 1925 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. Her body was cremated and her ashes interred at Floral Hills Memory Garden Cemetery, Tucker, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wesley Woods Foundation in her name.
On Saturday, December 26, 2015 Mary Alice Cummins, 82, passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her illness was short and her passing sudden. She “died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.” 1 Chronicles 29:28. Those who knew her enjoyed her generosity, kindness and quirky sense of humor.
Mary Alice was born in Augusta, GA on July 24, 1933, the second of two children born to Dr. David Franklin McDowell (1901 - 1973) and Leona Inez Turner (1901 - 1989). She was the Granddaughter of Charles Birch McDowell (1880 - 1966) and Nellie Lou Ella Tomlin (1877 - 1962). Mary Alice was the Great Granddaughter of Samuel George McDowell (1855 - 1925) and Minnehaha J Birch (1858 - 1948).
Her early years were spent in Chapel Hill, NC where her father earned his PhD in Foreign Languages. Upon graduation, Dr. McDowell moved his little family to Atlanta, GA where he taught Spanish and ultimately served as Chair of the Dept. of Foreign Languages at Georgia State University. Mary Alice's childhood was filled with a multitude of diverse interests. She cultivated her love of literature, ballet, and music, and they became life-long passions. Mary Alice played the piano beautifully, enjoyed writing poems and children's stories, and she adored playing word games. She was a prolific reader of all genre, loved sharing jokes and riddles, and spent hours putting pen-to-paper in letter-writing to family and friends, with envelopes literally bulging with “clippings” cut out with each recipient's personal interests in mind. Mary Alice loved to take walks, enjoying nature in all its forms, especially small woodland creatures. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, and showered them with books of all kinds!
Mary Alice graduated from Decatur Girls High School in 1950. Awarded a full scholarship to Agnes Scott College, she completed one year before transferring to the University of Georgia. During college, she met her future husband, a Georgia Institute of Technology student, William F Cummins, III. Bill and Mary Alice married in 1954 and eventually moved to Livermore, California where Bill was employed as a Nuclear Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Their marriage resulted in three children. Upon their divorce in 1970, Mary Alice and her children returned to Decatur, GA. She was a full-time employee for the State of Georgia while attending night classes. After studying diligently for several years, she received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia State University in 1976.
Mary Alice moved to Wesley Woods Towers in 2004 and was very active in her community for eleven years. Believing her mission in life was to visit the sick at Emory University's Budd Terrace Rehab Center, Mary Alice devoted nearly every day to that end - taking cards, flowers, gifts, and sharing Christian devotions. Mary Alice was an active member of Decatur First Methodist Church for many years and a devoted attendee of Christian services at Wesley Woods. She loved the Lord and wished all to know His forgiveness, love and mercy.
Mary Alice McDowell Cummins was predeceased by her parents and her ex-husband. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, her brother David F McDowell, Jr., and extended family. A Celebration of Life service was held Monday, January 4, 2016 at Wesley Woods Towers, 1925 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. Her body was cremated and her ashes interred at Floral Hills Memory Garden Cemetery, Tucker, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wesley Woods Foundation in her name.
BIO written by Alice Cummins Bush, first child of Mary Alice McDowell Cummins, with contributions by Dessau7, loving Daughter-in-Law.
On Saturday, December 26, 2015 Mary Alice Cummins, 82, passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her illness was short and her passing sudden. She “died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.” 1 Chronicles 29:28. Those who knew her enjoyed her generosity, kindness and quirky sense of humor.
Mary Alice was born in Augusta, GA on July 24, 1933, the second of two children born to Dr. David Franklin McDowell (1901 - 1973) and Leona Inez Turner (1901 - 1989). She was the Granddaughter of Charles Birch McDowell (1880 - 1966) and Nellie Lou Ella Tomlin (1877 - 1962). Mary Alice was the Great Granddaughter of Samuel George McDowell (1855 - 1925) and Minnehaha J Birch (1858 - 1948).
Her early years were spent in Chapel Hill, NC where her father earned his PhD in Foreign Languages. Upon graduation, Dr. McDowell moved his little family to Atlanta, GA where he taught Spanish and ultimately served as Chair of the Dept. of Foreign Languages at Georgia State University. Mary Alice's childhood was filled with a multitude of diverse interests. She cultivated her love of literature, ballet, and music, and they became life-long passions. Mary Alice played the piano beautifully, enjoyed writing poems and children's stories, and she adored playing word games. She was a prolific reader of all genre, loved sharing jokes and riddles, and spent hours putting pen-to-paper in letter-writing to family and friends, with envelopes literally bulging with “clippings” cut out with each recipient's personal interests in mind. Mary Alice loved to take walks, enjoying nature in all its forms, especially small woodland creatures. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, and showered them with books of all kinds!
Mary Alice graduated from Decatur Girls High School in 1950. Awarded a full scholarship to Agnes Scott College, she completed one year before transferring to the University of Georgia. During college, she met her future husband, a Georgia Institute of Technology student, William F Cummins, III. Bill and Mary Alice married in 1954 and eventually moved to Livermore, California where Bill was employed as a Nuclear Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Their marriage resulted in three children. Upon their divorce in 1970, Mary Alice and her children returned to Decatur, GA. She was a full-time employee for the State of Georgia while attending night classes. After studying diligently for several years, she received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia State University in 1976.
Mary Alice moved to Wesley Woods Towers in 2004 and was very active in her community for eleven years. Believing her mission in life was to visit the sick at Emory University's Budd Terrace Rehab Center, Mary Alice devoted nearly every day to that end - taking cards, flowers, gifts, and sharing Christian devotions. Mary Alice was an active member of Decatur First Methodist Church for many years and a devoted attendee of Christian services at Wesley Woods. She loved the Lord and wished all to know His forgiveness, love and mercy.
Mary Alice McDowell Cummins was predeceased by her parents and her ex-husband. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, her brother David F McDowell, Jr., and extended family. A Celebration of Life service was held Monday, January 4, 2016 at Wesley Woods Towers, 1925 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. Her body was cremated and her ashes interred at Floral Hills Memory Garden Cemetery, Tucker, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wesley Woods Foundation in her name.
On Saturday, December 26, 2015 Mary Alice Cummins, 82, passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her illness was short and her passing sudden. She “died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.” 1 Chronicles 29:28. Those who knew her enjoyed her generosity, kindness and quirky sense of humor.
Mary Alice was born in Augusta, GA on July 24, 1933, the second of two children born to Dr. David Franklin McDowell (1901 - 1973) and Leona Inez Turner (1901 - 1989). She was the Granddaughter of Charles Birch McDowell (1880 - 1966) and Nellie Lou Ella Tomlin (1877 - 1962). Mary Alice was the Great Granddaughter of Samuel George McDowell (1855 - 1925) and Minnehaha J Birch (1858 - 1948).
Her early years were spent in Chapel Hill, NC where her father earned his PhD in Foreign Languages. Upon graduation, Dr. McDowell moved his little family to Atlanta, GA where he taught Spanish and ultimately served as Chair of the Dept. of Foreign Languages at Georgia State University. Mary Alice's childhood was filled with a multitude of diverse interests. She cultivated her love of literature, ballet, and music, and they became life-long passions. Mary Alice played the piano beautifully, enjoyed writing poems and children's stories, and she adored playing word games. She was a prolific reader of all genre, loved sharing jokes and riddles, and spent hours putting pen-to-paper in letter-writing to family and friends, with envelopes literally bulging with “clippings” cut out with each recipient's personal interests in mind. Mary Alice loved to take walks, enjoying nature in all its forms, especially small woodland creatures. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, and showered them with books of all kinds!
Mary Alice graduated from Decatur Girls High School in 1950. Awarded a full scholarship to Agnes Scott College, she completed one year before transferring to the University of Georgia. During college, she met her future husband, a Georgia Institute of Technology student, William F Cummins, III. Bill and Mary Alice married in 1954 and eventually moved to Livermore, California where Bill was employed as a Nuclear Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Their marriage resulted in three children. Upon their divorce in 1970, Mary Alice and her children returned to Decatur, GA. She was a full-time employee for the State of Georgia while attending night classes. After studying diligently for several years, she received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia State University in 1976.
Mary Alice moved to Wesley Woods Towers in 2004 and was very active in her community for eleven years. Believing her mission in life was to visit the sick at Emory University's Budd Terrace Rehab Center, Mary Alice devoted nearly every day to that end - taking cards, flowers, gifts, and sharing Christian devotions. Mary Alice was an active member of Decatur First Methodist Church for many years and a devoted attendee of Christian services at Wesley Woods. She loved the Lord and wished all to know His forgiveness, love and mercy.
Mary Alice McDowell Cummins was predeceased by her parents and her ex-husband. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, her brother David F McDowell, Jr., and extended family. A Celebration of Life service was held Monday, January 4, 2016 at Wesley Woods Towers, 1925 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. Her body was cremated and her ashes interred at Floral Hills Memory Garden Cemetery, Tucker, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wesley Woods Foundation in her name.
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