(Updated) Boyce Dooley
Mr. Boyce Rupert Dooley, 85, surrounded by family, died peacefully in the early morning of Sunday, July 14, 2019, at Montclair Assisted Living in Decatur, GA. Mr. Dooley, the son of the late William Franklin Dooley and Essie (Davis) Dooley, was born on December 2, 1933, in Haralson County, GA. From the age of four, he spent his childhood in Trion, GA with his older sister, R.V. Greene, who, with her husband, Elmer and their daughter Nancy (Greene) Roy, raised him.
Mr. Dooley attended Trion High School where he met the love of his life, the former Gail Wike. The two would marry in 1956. After high school, Mr. Dooley enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Korean War. He was eligible for the G.I. Bill and graduated from Southern Technical Institute with an associate degree in electrical engineering technology and later from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
As an engineer, Mr. Dooley worked for several distinguished companies across the U.S. including, the Huntsville Space Center, General Electric, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Monsanto. Mr. Dooley returned to his home town of Trion, GA in 1970, family in tow, with the goal of creating Chattooga County’s first ever cable T.V. system – Clear-Vu Cable, Inc. He was one of several to attempt this, but the first to succeed. Because an undeveloped cable system provides no income to support a family, Mr. Dooley worked at Trend Mills in Rome, GA during the day and developed the cable system on nights and weekends. These efforts earned him the recognition as a pioneer in the Cable T.V. industry by the Southern Cable T.V. Association. He also served as a member of the Southern Cable T.V. Association, Georgia Cable T.V. Association, and the National Cable T.V. Association. By the time of Mr. Dooley’s retirement, he had built and operated cable systems in Chattooga County, GA, Dade County, GA, Rhea County, TN, and Meiggs County, TN. In addition to creating the area’s first cable T.V. system, Mr. Dooley also established Chattooga County’s first T.V. station, Channel 6, which broadcasted local football games, church services, and interviews. And Mr. Dooley’s entrepreneurship extended beyond the T.V. industry – he also founded Chattooga County’s first mini-warehouse business.
Mr. Dooley loved the Trion community. He was an active member in the Trion United Methodist Church, where he participated in the Christian Fellowship Sunday School Class and served as Sunday School Superintendent. He also served on the board of the Coosa Valley Regional Service and Development Corporation, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and was a member of the Summerville – Trion Rotary Club, Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce and Rome Sailing Club.
Mr. Dooley was a humble man most often recognized by a pair of blue jeans and a cowboy hat. He was known as friend to many. He enjoyed sailing, walking, reading, gardening, traveling, and most of all being with his wife, children and grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Gail (Wike) Dooley; his son, David Dooley and his wife, Coreen; his daughter, Denise Rowland and her husband, Harry; his niece, Nancy Roy; his grandchildren, Rachel Tillman Peaden (Jon), Bonnie Grace Tillman, Melissa Rowland Whisnant (Christopher), Harry Rowland, III; his great grandchildren, Ella Peaden and Emma Peaden; and many close friends. Mr. Dooley was preceded in death by thirteen brothers and sisters and one granddaughter, Hannah Gail Tillman.
The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, July 19, 2019, at the Trion United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Trion United Methodist Church, The Gail and Boyce R. Dooley Scholarship at Georgia Institute of Technology, The Boys and Girls Club of Chattooga County, Pilgrim Ministries, or to a charity of your choice.
Pallbearers are Wallace Perkins, Marshall Dooley, Tom Powell, Judson Williams, Stanley Smith, Jimmy Houser. Honorary Pallbearers are the Trion Methodist Men, the Christian Fellowship Sunday School Class, Dr. Jim Ware, Jim Finney, Frank Eubanks, Dwight Hardin, Jim Bynum, Ronnie Pilcher, Sam Finster, Earl Tillman, Hoyt Williams, Paul Ware, Dr. Gary Smith, Larry Stansell, Ralph Wright, Melvin Dooley, and Bob Greene.
