Nancy Elaine O'Hare

NANCY O’HARE OBITUARY Nancy Elaine O’Hare, 83, of Marietta, GA passed away June 28, 2024, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. This Saturday, August 24, her incredible life and legacy will be celebrated with a Memorial Service at Southern Cremations and Funerals in Marietta. Nancy O’Hare was born August 19, 1941, to John J. and Martha O’Hare of Hapeville, GA. Nancy and her brother John grew up listening to planes zipping in and out of the nearby Atlanta Airport. She loved going to Chick-Fil-A, reading books, dancing with her cousins, and having fun with her grandmother, Helen Love. After graduating from Hapeville High School, she earned a B.A. in Art History from Georgia State University, followed by a master’s degree in education from Georgia Southern University. In 1990, she attained another degree at University of Georgia in Scientific Illustration. Nancy left Hapeville for New Orleans, where she served as an illustrator for an educational film helping children to visualize mathematical concepts. After a stint with the Foreign Service in Turkey, Nancy became an art teacher in Georgia in 1970, quickly becoming a favorite of elementary school students on St. Simon’s Island. She went on to initiate the first arts program in McIntosh County, GA, organizing impactful teacher workshops, Artist-in-Residence programs and several large inter-cultural arts programs, contributing pieces to SUN, an arts magazine which circulated in the Pacific region. Nancy then taught art and English to children in Asia, primarily assigned to Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, Korea, where she expanded her understanding of different cultures and generously shared her travels with family and friends, sending frequent funny postcards and traditional gifts. A staunch advocate for animals, Nancy spent a great deal of time caring for the numerous cats and dogs she adopted and fostered over the years. After retiring from teaching, she indulged in her love of nature by taking day trips to the Botanical Gardens in Athens, GA, hiking forest trails, and painting and drawing what she saw around her. Nancy was a lively, brilliant woman and made friends wherever she went, including at the Hallmark Store, where she worked as a clerk, and at the business office where she was known as a dependable, problem-solving Executive Assistant. Nancy truly considered her pets her children, and those who passed before her included Coco, Fudgey, Alice Fay, Nikki, and Chloe, among others. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Wanda O’Hare, her niece Colleen and two nephews, John and Brian, as well as many friends who will never forget her. Services will be held at Southern Cremations & Funerals, Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 1pm, 1861 Dallas Hwy, Marietta, GA 30064. All who knew her are welcome in remembering this wonderful woman. In lieu of flowers, Nancy requests that a donation be made to ASPCA or FurKids at furkids.org/donation.