Julia Traylor Dyar. “Bootsie,” a fifth generation resident of Troup County, passed away Friday,  Oct. 13 at the age of 92.   She was born on May 2, 1925, and was the daughter of the late James Edward Traylor and Gladys Marchman Traylor. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from LaGrange College in 1946.

After her marriage to the youngest weekly newspaper editor in Georgia, the late Hubert Lenhardt Dyar, in 1948, she began writing a weekly column and was associate editor of the Royston  Record for 10 years.  After she and her husband moved to Atlanta, Mrs. Dyar was assistant manager and later manager of the Georgia Press Association and was voted a lifetime member of GPA at that time.  She later returned to her hometown of LaGrange where she worked as Public Relations Director at her alma mater, LaGrange College. She worked there almost 15 years before her retirement in 1993. Since then she has written a weekly historical column for the LaGrange Daily News, called “Memoried Glances.”

She was a member of First Baptist Church on the Square where she taught an Adult Women Sunday School class and was a former chairman of the churches Archives/History Committee. She was a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, a municipal appointment, and was a member and past president of the Troup County Historical Society.  She was also a former member of the LaGrange Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was presented the American Heritage award by the local chapter for “her work in preserving the Historical Heritage of our Community.” Other awards that she cherished were presented from her alma mater, LaGrange College, and they were the Dedication of the Quadrangle, the college award by the senior class in 1987 and recognition on the wall of outstanding alumni in 1995.

A compulsive reader, she was a member and past president of the Round Table, LaGrange’s oldest Book club, founded in 1931. She said her biggest claim to fame was being an aunt, a great-aunt , a great-great aunt and a great-great-great aunt.   She was a lover of all things historical and was very civic minded. She believed it is our responsibility to speak out and voice our opinions, as evidenced by her many letters to the editor on controversial matters. Most importantly, she was a Christian, a faithful prayer warrior and child of the Living God.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Hubert Lenhardt Dyar ;two brothers, James Edward Traylor, Jr. and Charles Franklin Traylor ;two sisters, Tallulah Traylor Kincaid and Ann Traylor Gelders; two nephews, Ed Traylor III and Charles Franklin Traylor, Jr.

Survivors include three nieces, Mary Ann Traylor Williams and her husband Thomas Williams of LaGrange, GA, Lelia Kincaid Cort and her husband John Cort of Asheville, NC; Jan Gelders and her husband Winfred Tucker of Fitzgerald, GA, a nephew Tommy Kincaid, Jr. and his wife Ann Kincaid of Statesville NC; as well as 16 great-great nieces and nephews. She was also survived by close cousins Grady Traylor and Mary Nell Traylor as well as a special friend, Mildred Simpson.

The gathering of family and friends will be Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, at the home of Mrs. Mary Ann Williams, 1201 Vernon Road from 6 p.m. until 8 pm. And the Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, at the First Baptist Church on the Square.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to be made to The Traylor Scholarship at LaGrange College; Georgia Press Education Foundation in Atlanta; Troup County Historical Society or First Baptist Church on the Square in her memory of Mrs. Julia Dyar.

Those wishing to share a condolence or remembrance with the family may do so by visiting www.shlagrange.com

Arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 1010 Mooty Bridge Road, LaGrange, GA 30240 (706) 884-8636