Mr. Calvin Eugene Dooley

After a courageous battle with cancer, Calvin Eugene "Gene" Dooley was called home in the early morning hours of June 29th, 2015. Gene was an avid pool player who loved playing with his friends at the Senior Center as well as a strategic Tic-Tac-Toe player, consistently losing to his grandkids. He was also proud of his garden that he worked on over the years in both his hometown of Vinton,Virginia and his adopted home of Atlanta. Gene worked for Norfolk and Western Railways for almost 40 years. where he met and fell in love with Sandra Cole Dooley, his best friend and wife of almost 49 years. Gene was an incredible husband, father, grand"papa" and an invaluable member of his church community known for his shrewd advice doled out to his friends and family even when it was difficult to hear. He touched the lives and hearts of the people around him and will be remembered for his generosity and wisdom that was tempered by humility and humor. No amount of words used in this tribute could ever express the value his life added to his friends and family. And it is a testament to a great man that his family considered Gene their friend and ally and that worldly goods were not as important as the love for his family. Gene leaves behind his wife as well as his beautiful and incredibly smart children, Sharon, Cheryl and Stephen. These three children help carry on the enviable Dooley genes with their impressive offspring: Emma(19), Chase(16), Elizabeth(10), Jack(9) and Cole(2) [ with some contribution made by their equally incredible spouses, Greg, Cary and Bob]. Celebration of Gene's life will be held at Southern Cremations and Funerals on Thursday, July 2 at 11am. A firework show in honor of Gene's memory will commence across the nation at dusk on Saturday night. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Calvary Children's Home, which held a special place in Gene's heart.