Dorothy Toth Beasley October 5, 1937 - May 19, 2024
Whenever Dorothy stepped to the lectern for a Bible reading during worship at her beloved Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Midtown Atlanta, she wanted to do more. She once told her senior pastor that she would like to give context to the congregation listening, to explain how the story and its lessons fit into the bigger story of the God she believed in and served. It was emblematic of her faith, her heart, her intellect, and her desire to help others in their own journeys. Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley lived a big life animated by words and The Word. In her professional career anchored in legal texts, she shattered glass ceilings in Georgia courts, argued landmark cases of national importance, and solved problems with compassion for people in Georgia and around the world. She lived her faith in countless ways, helping to establish Atlanta’s pioneering food-rescue project for the hungry and clearing obstacles for youth in foster care. She reveled in books and corresponded with her friends including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O’Connor. And she was a leader at her church for most of 50 years. Dorothy died May 19th at Emory St. Joseph's hospital in Atlanta. She was 86. Born on October 5th, 1937 in Passaic, New Jersey, Dorothy was raised in nearby Garfield with her younger 1