Driskell, William

DRISKELL, William

Friends and former students of Lakeside High School in Atlanta will be sad to learn of the death of Bill Driskell on Saturday, February 13, 2020. Mr. Driskell taught at Lakeside from 1967 to 2001. He died of complications from surgery for esophageal cancer.

Bill was born in Long Beach, California. His father was a doctor in the Navy so his family lived in many places, including Guam. He graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, Florida and followed his father and grandfather to Emory University. At Emory, Bill was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, met his wife Mary and received BA and MAT degrees. He began teaching at Lakeside High School where he discovered that his flair for including humor in the history and psychology curricula made him very popular among his students. He was elected Teacher of the Year by the students and the teachers. In addition to teaching, he was the soccer coach when Lakeside won a State Soccer Championship in 1970. He was Student Government Sponsor and Senior Class Sponsor, as well as serving as Social Studies Department Chair. Professionally, he was a teacher advocate and served as the first President of the Organization of Dekalb Educators. As a parent he served as President of the Soccer Booster Club and the Tip Off Club. In addition to teaching, he owned and operated the Frame Corner. After retiring from teaching, he worked in Guest Relations at Emory University Hospital for 19 years, where he was thrilled to encounter many former students and their families.

Bill is survived by his wife Mary; son Logan and wife Betsy; daughter Mary Margaret Ciavatta and husband Vinny; sister Jodee Dyer; brother-in-law Edd McMillan; brother-in-law Jim McMillan and wife Tonie; and nieces and nephews. His four grandchildren, Davis, Ellie, Isaac and Ben will miss him greatly, as will his canine pal Carson.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Foundation Fighting Blindness, Atlanta Humane Society, or your favorite charity.

There will be a graveside service for family, with the hope for a celebration of his life at a later date. A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

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Funeral Home Information

A. S. Turner & Sons

2773 North Decatur Road

Decatur, GA