THOMASVILLE — When vandals repeatedly destroyed a brick wall at her school, Principal Mary Grubbs finally had enough; she learned how to lay bricks and did the repairs herself, and afterwards the vandals stopped.

Grubbs, 81, who taught fifth grade 12 years in the Thomasville City Schools System and was a former principal at Harder Elementary School, died Friday evening. Her sister, Martha Donovan, recounted her tenacity Saturday.

“It made her mad,” Donovan said of the destruction of the wall that concealed garbage cans. “She finally got angry and took a course on brick laying and built that wall back herself. She decided she was going to put it back up herself, and it was not torn down again. That’s the kind of person she was.

“She called that — it was her school. She was very proud of it and took care of everything.”

Grubbs also was active in many organizations in Thomas County, and was the only female Little League coach, Donovan said. She also was an Atlanta Braves fanatic, and did a post-game commentary on the team on WPAX radio.

“When (Braves outfielder) Jeff Francoeur came down here for some sports thing he called her,” Donovan said. “He gave her a signed picture of himself. She was a big supporter of the Braves.”

Grubbs was well known to the community and was selected as the torch bearer for Thomasville when the United States hosted the Olympic Games, and she was the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce’s Woman of the Year in 1970.

After retiring, Grubbs was the United Way executive director, and also worked at the Welcome Center and was a member of Sunrise Kiwanis Club.

She was selected as the grand marshall for the 2008 Rose Show Parade but was unable to attend due to illness.

Grubbs was inducted into the Thomasville-Thomas County Sports Hall of Fame and a member of the organization’s board.

“I’m going to miss her terribly,” Donovan said. “She was not just my sister, she was my best friend. We did everything together; our condominiums were side by side.”

Reporter Alan Mauldin can be reached by calling (229) 226-2400, ext. 226.