Dr. Jean Stewart Staton

Dr. Jean Stewart Staton of Avondale Estates, died May 6 at the age of 86. Dr. Staton was born and raised in Gastonia, NC. Dr. Staton graduated from Agnes Scott in 1946. After graduating from Agnes Scott, Dr. Staton received a master's degree in neuroanatomy from Emory University in 1948. She then headed to Emory medical school, where she was one of two women in her class. Dr. Staton graduated from Emory Medical School in 1953. She practiced general internal medicine in Decatur, GA from 1957 to 1991, during which time she also served as clinical professor of medicine at Emory. Dr. Staton became involved in the civil rights movement in the early '60s. "From there I met Coretta Scott King and became her physician until I retired and her friend until her death," Staton recalled. Dr. Staton was revered by her patients and her retirement left an enormous gap in the medical community.

After retirement from her personal practice, Dr. Staton was the chief of medicine at Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital. When she retired from Wesley Woods, Dr. Staton became the Medical Director for the volunteer Physicians' Care Clinic, established by the Dekalb Medical Society to provide primary medical care for residents of Dekalb County that do not have health insurance.

Among many other achievements, Dr. Staton was given the 2004 Julius McCurdy Citizenship Award to recognize outstanding community service by a Dekalb County physician. Dr. Staton was the recipient of the 2005 Medical Association of Georgia's Distinguished Service Award. In 2006, Dr. Staton received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Agnes Scott.

She will be remembered as a caring physician, mother, grandmother, and a cherished friend.
Dr. Staton is survived by her son, Stewart Staton, her daughter-in-law Monti Staton, and her granddaughter Zoë Staton of Smoke Rise, GA. She is also survived by her brothers James and Thomas Stewart of Gastonia, NC. She enjoyed bringing marshmallows to Zoë and raising orchids in her green houses.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, May 12 at A.S. Turner & Sons in Decatur, GA. Dr. Staton's family will receive friends at 2:00 pm prior to the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, our family requests donations be made in Dr. Staton's memory to either the Dekalb Physician's Care Clinic (PCC) or the American Lung Association (ALA).

PCC: call 404.501.7960 or go to www.dekalbmedical.org/foundation and click on "ways
to give" and then on "make a gift." To make sure your gift goes to the PCC you must write "Physician's Care Clinic" in the box listed as "Gift Designation."

ALA: 1-800-LUNGUSA or www.lung.org


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033