J. Dudley Ottley Sr.

June Dudley Ottley, Sr., 87, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, surrounded by his wife and family. Born on July 24, 1934, in Atlanta, Georgia, he was the son of the late John King Ottley and Mary Harvey Ottley.

Dudley was a 3rd generation Atlantan; he attended the E. Rivers School and was a graduate of the Darlington School for Boys in Rome, Georgia, where he was an All-State offensive and defensive lineman. He majored in industrial management at Georgia Tech where he played football and was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity. While attending Tech, he met his wife, Kay Tison. Kay and Dudley were married for 64 years and raised four children. Dudley worked for Ford Motor Company and Sharp-Boylston before starting his own real estate business - Ottley Properties, Inc. - in 1967 where he worked with two of his sons.

Dudley’s great love, after his wife and children, was hunting. Besides his hunting clubs, Jeffco Rod & Gun and Cedar Switch, he hunted with friends and family all over the world. He was named Sportsman of the Year for Georgia by the National Wildlife Federation. Dudley was also committed to wetlands conservation as a longtime supporter and volunteer for Ducks Unlimited and was the GADU State Chairman from 1970-73 and later a National Trustee and Board Member. That legacy has carried forward as many of his good friends, children and grandchildren have gone on to be dedicated volunteer leaders for the organization. His constant companions on his hunting trips, along with his wife, children, and many friends, were his beloved Labrador retrievers. Dudley founded the Atlanta Retriever Club and had a long line of loyal dogs, some of whom became field champions. Dudley also loved his time spent at Keewaydin, the oldest camp in North America, on Lake Temagami in Ontario, Canada, where he continued and supported a legacy of four generations of Ottleys who attended the camp, including his father, children and grandchildren.

Before moving to Peachtree Hills Place, Dudley and Kay split their time between their home in Brookwood Hills in Atlanta and their house on Tybee Island, where he loved to sit out on the dock and watch the sunsets across the marsh. He was a member of the Piedmont Driving Club. He and his wife Kay were longtime congregants of The Cathedral of St. Philip and All Saints Episcopal Church Tybee.

Dudley was an extraordinary raconteur, and though he often told the same story multiple times, he never told the same version twice. With his gregarious personality, he entertained friends, family, and strangers, who then became friends, with his colorful, humorous, and imaginative tales. Whenever he met someone new, he was always able to find a connection with them, and he never forgot anyone. He was a faithful and lifelong friend to many. Even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, his personality stayed intact and he charmed the staff and residents of Peachtree Hills Place. He was dedicated to his family and provided his children and grandchildren with a love of the outdoors and an abiding belief in the importance of family.

He is survived by wife, Kay; daughter, Virginia Ottley Craighill (Chip); son, June Dudley Ottley, Jr.; son, Julian Tison Ottley (Haley); son, Alexander King Ottley (Michelle). Also surviving are 11 grandchildren, Catherine Ann Craighill, Charles Hunter Craighill, June Dudley Ottley III, James Patrick Ottley, Mary Ottley Berndt (Robbie), Catherine Tison Ottley, Lucy Coulbourn Ottley, Samuel Alexander Ottley, Tate Macallister Ottley, Addison Francis Berreth, and Lacey McLelland Berreth; his brother, John King Ottley, Jr. (Judy), and sister, Mary Fenton Ottley Doyle, numerous nieces and nephews and in-laws. He was predeceased by his parents.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, February 4th at The Cathedral of St. Philip with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Respite Care Atlanta (https://www.respitecareatlanta.org/).