Leonora was born 11 September 1925 at the home of her maternal grandparents in Bartow, Jefferson County, Georgia, the daughter of Annie Johnson Lanier and Dudley Hughes Shannon, late of Jeffersonville; she was the granddaughter of the late Leonora Johnson and Theodore Augustus Lanier and of Virginia Solomon Faulk and John Carey Shannon. In addition to her parents and grandparents, Leonora was preceded in death by her beloved husband Angus Hart, Jr., her grandson Cliff Tibbetts, Jr., and her first cousins Lenore Shannon, Carey Walker Shannon, James Douglas Shannon, Jr. and Mary Eolyn Shannon Tolleson.
Leonora was a graduate of Mercer University where she was a Phi Mu. In 1947 she married Royal Air Force Flight-Lieutenant Angus Hart, Jr. in Jeffersonville where they made their home.
After thirty-three years of service as a dedicated, conscientious teacher, Mrs. Hart retired from the Twiggs County Board of Education. She loved children and was named Teacher of the Year for the Twiggs County Schools in the first year of that award program. Mrs. Hart served as both secretary and treasurer of the Twiggs Parent and Teacher Association. In 1963 the Twiggs County PTA presented her with an Honorary Life Membership in the Georgia Congress of Parents and Teachers for “her contribution to the welfare of the Children and Youth in the Community.”
As a child, Leonora joined First Baptist Church of Jeffersonville where she was a member of Sunday School and WMU for many years, serving as WMU secretary for 15 years. In 2000, she and her husband Angus made First Baptist Church of Christ their church home.
A gentle, happy person, Leonora was drawn to animals and to nature. She loved her family unconditionally and was devoted to her husband, daughter, grandsons and their home in Jeffersonville. Survivors include her grandson Kelly Hart and her daughter Shannon Hart, her first cousins Laurie Shannon Kay, Linda Lanier Richardson, Marjorie Lanier Sugrue, Nancy Lanier Merck, and her nephew Melvin Smith, Jr.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to First Baptist Church of Christ, 511 High Place, Macon, Georgia 31201. The family urges careful reading of ajc.com/unprotected.
Visit www.snowscs.com to express online condolences.
Arrangements entrusted to Snow's Memorial Chapel, Cherry Street.
