Lucy Irvine Breyer

Lucy Irvine Breyer, born Atlanta, Georgia April 2, 1944; died December 17, 2024, Roswell, Georgia.
Preceded in death by her parents Colding Douglas Irvine and Annie Lucile Scarborough Irvine, and by her husband, William Rich Breyer.
Lucy spent her childhood in Jonesboro, Georgia spending many hours with her lifelong best friend Lynn Merrifield DeVos, and her dog Pepsi. She attended Jonesboro High School.
Lucy graduated from Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. From there she spent time working at various clinics in Atlanta, at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and in the Emergency Room at Grady, where she met her husband.
Lucy and William Rich Breyer married in 1970, and established their home in Roswell, Georgia the following year.
She gave birth to her first daughter, Laura, in 1973. Her second daughter, Allison was born in 1974.
Lucy went to work at Northside Hospital in 1978 and remained there until her retirement in 2009. After a year in retirement, she got bored and returned to her beloved Grady, where she remained until shortly before her husband’s death in 2014. She spent several years after working part-time as a Visiting Angel before finally retiring for good in 2019.
Lucy loved caregiving above all. She knew she wanted to be a nurse even as a child, and she used her passion to provide aid and comfort to many, many people.
She was also a devoted wife and mother who enjoyed time with her family, whether at home, in the North Georgia mountains, or on any beach. She especially loved any holiday, and making the space around her look beautiful, and the people she loved feel special.
Lucy was passionate about baking and did so with skill and joy. Anyone who ever enjoyed her cookies knows that the secret ingredient was love. And butter.
Lucy thoroughly enjoyed any chance to travel. She loved family trips to Jamaica, Florida, Washington D.C., and New York. She traveled extensively through Europe with her husband, and visited her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson in Okinawa, Japan. She loved meeting new people and felt at home everywhere she went.
Lucy was fortunate to find love a second time in her last decade. She and her beloved and devoted companion, Jorg Voss, spent time together in Roswell, and traveled extensively throughout the Southwestern US, to the Okefenokee swamp, and to his childhood home in Germany. Their time together was filled with love, laughter, and adventure.
She was interested in the world around her, which fueled her volunteer work for the campaigns of both Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. When voting in the 2024 election, she said that she had always hoped for a female president in her lifetime.
Lucy’s home in the North Point neighborhood played a large role in her life. Her neighbors became life-long friends, and whether gathering at the neighborhood pool, or at anyone’s house, Lucy loved to be among her friends and their families. She lived in her home for 53 years and celebrated her 80th birthday with a party there earlier this year. In her later years, she cared for her two loyal pugs, and would often chat with everyone who passed by while she was out with them in her yard.
Lucy is survived by her daughter Laura Breyer Chalkley, her husband LtCol Thomas Chalkley, USMC (ret), and their son Henry William Chalkley of Half Moon Bay, CA; Allison Breyer Everett and her husband Matthew Everett of Nashville, TN; her beloved partner and companion Jorg Voss of Roswell, GA; kind neighbors, loving classmates, and devoted friends.
A celebration of her life will take place in Spring 2025. Details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Grady Health Foundation in her memory:
https://www.gradyhealthfoundation.org/honor-or-memorial-tribute
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