Alma Mount Abernathy

Alma Mount Abernathy, of Stone Mountain, GA, and most recently, Presbyterian Village in Austell, GA, passed away on January 24, 2021, after a brief battle with COVID-19. She was 100 years old. Alma was born on April 4, 1920, to Eldridge Milfred Mount and Sally Underwood Mount in Cornelia, GA.

She studied at the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN, graduating in 1942 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics. While at UT she met Andrew “Andy” Jackson Abernathy and they wed in 1943, in Waco, TX, where Andy was serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. They were happily married for 66 years before his death in 2009.

During the first five years of their marriage, Alma and Andy moved all over the country for his military service. Following his honorable discharge from the Army, they returned to Knoxville so Andy could finish his degree at UT. They then settled in Atlanta, GA. Alma worked in the test kitchen at Southern Cotton Oil and as a high school math teacher in the years before her two daughters, Courtney and Andrea, were born.

Alma was a devoted wife, mother, friend, and homemaker. A skilled seamstress, she enjoyed knitting, and people still treasure the cross-stitched monogrammed towels that she gave out as gifts. She also loved to cook and was well-known for her cheese straws, peanut brittle, and sweet pickles.

Her daughters fondly recall how their mother never missed a high school football or basketball game or gymnastics meet they were performing at and how she created a welcoming home where all of their friends would gather. In fact, everyone had a place at Alma’s table and a seat in her always-on-the-go station wagon, which was likely to stop at Rich’s department store or the thrift store along the way.

Alma made time in her schedule to volunteer, helping out at both Clarkston High School and as a CASA volunteer with the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services for a number of years. She was active in the church throughout her life, most recently at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain, GA. Her pastor there, George Tatro, recalls, “If she wasn't a founding member, she was close. If she wasn't a character, in the most loving sense of the word, she was close. If she wasn't an angel, she is now. If you asked me to describe her in as few words as possible, I would have to say she was ‘joyfully authentic.’" He says Alma lived her life to the fullest and remembers her as being full of stories, from dating Tennessee Ernie Ford to meeting Admiral “Dicky” Byrd.

One of Alma’s passions was collecting angels. Her husband once said that if she got any more angels, the kitchen would fly away. She also raised Wire Fox Terriers and would save what she called her “dog money” to buy her girls memorable pieces of jewelry for their significant birthdays. She enjoyed book club and was a voracious reader.

Alma was the biggest sports fan you can imagine. She never missed a Braves game on the radio or a UT football game or any other SEC or ACC game on TV. Alma and Andy were lifelong supporters of the University of Tennessee, and Alma’s daughters insist the pair probably had larger “Big Orange” wardrobes than any student athlete. Together, the family enjoyed traveling in Andy’s small plane and later their motorhome when they weren’t hosting friends at their cabin on Lake Lanier.

Alma’s daughters cherish all of the many lessons she taught them, including that to have friends, you have to be a friend, and that if you want something, you have to make it happen. One of their funniest memories of their mother is how she loved to go to Hooters. They often took her there to celebrate Mother’s Day, and there’s a famous picture of Alma wearing a Hooters T-shirt and posing with four of the waitresses when she went there for her 98th birthday. Alma even took her chaplain from Presbyterian Village there once and introduced him to every table of strangers in the place, telling them he was her chaplain and had never been to Hooters before.

Alma was the original steel magnolia. She had personality with a capital P. She was truly a witty character, and people always knew where they stood with her. Her colleagues, friends, and family contend she made a difference in each of their lives and the lives of everyone she came in contact with. She loved and was loved, and will be missed forever.

Survivors include daughter Courtney McGee and her husband, Greg McGee (Gallatin, TN); daughter Andrea “Andi” Counts and her husband, Gurdon Counts; and grandson Jackson Counts (Kennesaw, GA).

Due to COVID-19, there are no visitation hours or memorial services planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution in Alma’s name to Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, 5140 Memorial Dr., Stone Mountain, GA 30083, 404-292-8212.

Ingram Funeral Home & Crematory, 210 Ingram Avenue, Cumming, Georgia 30040, is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be made at www.ingramfuneralhome.com.