John R. Haley, Sr.

John Raymond Haley Sr., 76, of Oconee County, GA, went
to be with his Lord on June 26, 2026. His final days were spent
surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and siblings.
They enjoyed hours of talking, laughing at “dad jokes”, sharing
favorite memories, and giving lots of hugs. Everyone agreed
that one of their favorite memories was the Alaskan cruise with
all the children and grandchildren to celebrate their 50 th
wedding anniversary.

John was born May 19, 1950, in Pittsburgh, PA. He was the
youngest son of Frank W. “Pat” Haley and Wilma Cochran
Haley of Oakdale, PA, who preceded him in death. Being from
Pennsylvania, he was a lifelong fan of both the Pittsburgh
Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers!
He was a 1968 graduate of Allegheny High School, in
Oakdale, PA. and a 1972 Graduate of Westminster College in
New Wilmington, PA. John majored in Mathematics, enjoyed
singing in the Westminster Choirs, and traveled to Spain his
Senior Year.

Following his college graduation, John enlisted in the U.S.
Navy. His first duty station after bootcamp was the Naval Air
Station in Millington, TN for electronics school, after which they
assigned him to be an electronics instructor.
While in Millington, John was active in the Base Chapel
Choir. It was there that he met his future wife, Dorinda Jean

Clark. They were married on August 8,1975, in that same Navy
Chapel where they first sang together.
After 6 years in the Navy and a Westpac Deployment with
VF2 on the USS Enterprise, John was transferred to Newport,
Rhode Island in 1979 to attend Officer Candidate School. As a
new Ensign, John’s first orders were to the Navy Supply Corps
School, here in Athens, GA. John and Dorinda fell in love with
the area and hoped it would someday be their permanent
home.

During his time as an officer, John and his family moved
together for tours in San Diego; Athens, to teach; Bangor, WA;
Athens, for Grad School at UGA; Guam; Kings Bay, GA; and
finally back to Oconee County upon retirement.
John was dedicated to volunteering in the community to
better the lives of children and students. Following his Naval
career, John taught computer classes at Athens Tech for 18
years, where he Sponsored Alpha Beta Gamma. He was also
active with the local Optimist Club. And during football season
the past 30 years, John could be found on the OCHS football
field, working the chains on Friday nights.
Since church and music was such a foundation in their
marriage, John and Dorinda put down roots in local churches
at each move. John was always an active member of the
church choirs such as the local Beech Haven Baptist Church
and Briarwood Baptist Church.

John’s enjoyment of singing encompassed community events
as well. He sang the National Anthem at several venues,
including the Watkinsville Tree Lighting, Athens Tech
Graduations, and for both the Atlanta Braves and the Gwinnett
Stripers ballgames. He really missed singing when he became
ill.

John is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dorinda Clark Haley,
and their three children: John R. Haley Jr. (Dyane), Melissa J.
Shaw (Micah), and Melanie H. Hinton (Matthew). John loved
being “Grandad” to his seven Grandchildren: Karissa & Caleb
Haley; Paul, Haley, & Silas Shaw; Max & Lucas Hinton.
John is also survived by his siblings: Patricia Demeter
(Grover), William Haley Sr. (Elaine) and Susan Levy (Ron).
Numerous cousins, nieces and nephews will miss him too.

Visitation will be held at Briarwood Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, on
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 , from 5:30-7:00 PM. John’s funeral service
will be held at the Georgia Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in
Milledgeville, GA, on July 22, 2026 at 2:30 PM. Following the short
service, the Presentation of Honors will be held outside.
In lieu of flowers, John requested donations be made to the
Oconee Area Resource Council program: Food for Kids.
(1071 Jamestown Blvd. Watkinsville, GA 30677,
oconeeconnection.org)