VALDOSTA – Todd Moye was surprised when Georgia Military College held a degree presentation for his late wife, Valerie Moye. 

Despite battling cancer for nine years, Valerie Moye enrolled at GMC. She felt like she wasn’t doing anything since her children, Tolerie and Todd Moye, had gotten older. 

Valerie Moye was a nurse from 1991 until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. She went back to school in 2020 to finish what she had started through her sociology degree. 

Despite having to go through treatment, she kept her spirits high, her husband said. 

Todd Moye described her as a person who always had a smile on her face. According to GMC, her personality was contagious and she was passionate about serving others. However, that wasn’t always the case when it came to battling cancer. 

“As her husband, you see the behind the scenes stuff that isn’t always so great,” Todd Moye said. 

Through her challenges, GMC was understanding when Valerie Moye was in treatment or in the hospital where she couldn’t talk. A few days after classes ended in April, Valerie Moye was hospitalized and put on the ventilator. She passed away a few days later on April 30. 

In order to commemorate her, GMC held a ceremony where Todd Moye and the children received her associate’s degree in sociology. According to GMC, the college hoped commemorating her would encourage people who are going through difficulties to live life to the fullest.

Just like Valerie Moye.