Martha Lilyan "Tilly" Hanberry

Martha Lilyan ("Tilly") Hanberry died Tuesday, May 4, 2010, after a long illness. Funeral services will be held at 1:00PM Saturday, May 8, 2010 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church with Father Reed Freeman officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery (main gate). The family may be contacted at 1680 Rivoli Lane, the residence of John and Diane Hanberrry. Martha Lilyan Middlebrooks Hanberry was born November 9, 1923, in Haddock, Georgia, to Sara O'Kelly Middlebrooks and Willis Middlebrooks. She graduated cum laude from Peabody High School and the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville, Georgia. While there she sang alto in the a capella choir. She completed college in three years and began working in Atlanta at Davison's in antiques and furnishings. She married Richard Lawrence Hanberry, Jr., on December 30, 1949. She worked with the Girl Scouts of America in New Orleans, while Richard was in medical residency there. She was a wonderful wife, attending numerous golf tournaments, hosting grand parties, and handling all of the family's business affairs. She and her husband enjoyed collecting antiques and sterling silver and visiting the Georgia coast together. Tilly was a devoted mother and was very active in her children's activities, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, and Girl Scouts. All three of her sons became Eagle Scouts. All of her children, in no small part due to her, were Honor Graduates of Stratford Academy and members of the Beta Club. She has also been a wonderful grandmother to her four grandsons and one granddaughter. She was very active in the community. As a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, she served on the Flower Guild and as President of the Episcopal Church Women. She enjoyed serving in many capacities in the Hilandale Garden Club over the last fifty plus years. She also served as President and in other offices of the Bibb County Medical Auxiliary. She had a passionate interest in genealogy and penned and published several volumes of family history. As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she served as chapter President and in other offices. She had traced ten or more lineages of the family's background, and was awarded pins accordingly by the DAR. She was also a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Many remember her hospitality and sense of humor. She was known for her graciousness even until the end, voicing a "Thank-you" for any kindness shown. She had four children: Richard Lawrence Hanberry, III, Willis Middlebrooks Hanberry, John Cline Hanberry (Diane), and Lilyan Hanberry West (Jeff). Her grandchildren are Richard Lawrence Hanberry, IV (Emma), James Hendricks Hanberry, Alicia Pickett (Stewart), Daniel Caleb West, and Robert Matthew West. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, her son, Willis, and by her sister, Sallie Vetter, who died January 14, 2010. Register online at www.hartsmort.com. Hart's Mortuary and Crematory, Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.