Dolores Mae Fehl Highlands
Mrs. Dolores Mae Fehl Highlands, 89, a longtime resident of Cartersville, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 22, 2019, after a long illness.
Dolores was born October 3, 1930 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to the late John C. and Dorothy M. Fehl. She and her family moved to Arizona and then California, where she graduated in 1948 from Mark Kepple High School in Alhambra, California. She returned to her home state to study nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked as an office nurse for longtime family friend Dr. Jack Hanlon. She later worked in marketing for the film industry, and ran a home-based flower business.
Dolores married Gurney B. Ruby, Jr in Harrisburg in 1952, and helped him open his law practice. In 1961, they adopted a baby daughter, Lisa Susan. In 1966, Dolores married real estate and construction businessman Jay Highlands in Arlington, Virginia. They lived in Harrisburg and were married for 29 years before he died in 1995.
From an early age, Dolores loved the outdoors. She spent time on her grandparents’ farms in Pennsylvania, rode toboggans in the snow at Lake Placid, New York, and hunted and fished with her first husband. She was known to make impromptu stops on the side of the road to collect wildflowers. She was an enthusiastic traveler and a fantastic cook, and loved to eat hard shell crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.
Dolores’s greatest love was her family and grandchildren, but as evidenced by her many friends and acquaintances, she had a genuine interest in and love for people around her. She was dedicated to helping others, and volunteered with local missions and charities wherever she lived. After moving to Cartersville in 2004, she was a docent at the Booth Western Art Museum soon after it opened, and was a member of Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church.
Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, John C. and Dorothy M. (Kepner) Fehl, and her husband Jay. Survivors include a sister Nancy L. Stehle of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; brother John N. Fehl of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; daughter Lisa S. Hartley of Cartersville; step-daughter Donna L. Chronister (Stephen) of Warrenton, Virginia; son-in-law Bruce A. Hartley of Cartersville; grandchildren Stacey L. Chronister of Alexandria, Virginia; Juliana M. Hartley and Nathan A. Hartley of Cartersville; many nieces and nephews; lifelong friend Lois Luciano of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and special friend Mary Ann Waits of Cartersville. The family wishes to thank Dr. Satyen Mehta and the staff at The Hope Center in Cartersville, Dr. Jeffrey Esslinger and the staff at Amedisys Hospice in Cartersville, and Golden Home Services in Alpharetta for their wonderful care of Dolores.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 11 AM at Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, 100 W. Church Street, Cartersville, with Senior Pastor Kevin Lobello officiating. A reception and visitation will follow the service. Georgia Funeral Care and Cremation Services Funeral Home in Acworth is in charge of arrangements. Online remembrances can be made at www.georgiafuneralcare.com. Dolores will be interred in the Spring of 2020 at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pennsylvania.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta, www.komenatlanta.org, 3525 Piedmont Rd., Building 5, Suite 215, Atlanta, Georgia 30305.
