Betty Mearl Blackmon Finley, 72, of Stone Mountain, Ga., died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013.
The service celebrating her life will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 at Hillside Presbyterian Church, 1879 Columbia Dr., Decatur, GA 30032. Rev. Dr. Winston Lawson, Pastor; Rev. Ernestine Blackmon Cole will officiate.  Interment will be at Hillandale Memorial Park, Lithonia, Ga.
The fourth of five children born to Rev. James and Willie Mae Blackmon in Bainbridge, Betty was the valedictorian of her Hutto High School graduating class. After graduating from Tuskegee University, she married her college sweetheart, Isaac T. Finley, Jr. during his military career. They lived in Massachusetts for over 30 years where she was a distinguished teacher before retiring to Stone Mountain.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Ella Blackmon Ross.
Those who cherish her memory include: her husband, Isaac T. Finley, Jr.; son, Michael James Thomas Finley; grandson, Brandon Miles Finley and goddaughter, Jillian Elaine Blackmon; sisters, Corene Blackmon and Ernestine Cole; brother, James Blackmon (Cheryl); sisters-in-law, Yvonne Forbes and  Carole Perry; brother-in law, Marvin Finley(Gwen); nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.
The family will receive friends 6 – 8 p.m. Sunday at Grissom-Clark Funeral Home, 227 East Lake Dr., S.E. Atlanta, GA 30317