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Obituary - Lennie McGowan Rutz
Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro
obituaries

Lennie McGowan Rutz, my mother, had several great loves in her life:  Good food (mostly her own), her mother, her husband, and good television (none of that silly stuff, and definitely no weird sci-fi junk) [Her words, not mine].  No list of the things she truly, wholly loved would be complete without mentioning music.

There are only two men on the planet for whom she hopped a flight to another continent.  She married one, and she has posters of the other hanging in her living room.  Sorry, Dave, but Hozier makes for better decorations and superior songs.  (Phil Philips, if you’re out there, don’t fret, she loved you, too, but not everybody can be number one in her eyes).

I was her favorite child, of that I’m sure, so I’ll take that win, even if I didn’t have any competition.  (It’s fair, since she was my favorite Mom).  While I don’t have my face on a poster hanging in her living room, I know she raised me well and that I made her proud. I think of her every time I cook dinner; we regularly spoke on the phone when I was in the kitchen.  She’d offer advice or mockery as appropriate, and I’d always be smiling when we ended our conversations.

We had our last face to face talk on January 17, 2025.  Lennie McGowan Rutz passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital after a slow, steady decline in health.  Before she left us, she had a life filled with world travel and dear friends. She leaves behind a husband, Dave, with whom she lived in Switzerland for many years before bringing him back home to Brooklet. His parents, Pierre and Shirly Rutz, joined him a few years later and they still live next door.  Her son, Clay Ketterman, lives with his wife Rebekah in Forsyth, Georgia, and he will miss those dinner prep chats dearly. Her niece, Alli Fordham and her children, Brayleigh and Kyleigh, in Metter, will forever mourn the loss of “Aunty BoomBoom Pow.”

Not a day went by that my Mom didn’t miss her mother, Ailene Forehand McGowan.  Lennie was also preceded in death by her sister, Dena McGowan Fordham, her aunt, Audrey Forehand Guido, and her grandmother, Donie Davis Forehand, as well as her beloved great-nephew Cecil "Edwin" Chance.

An informal service will be held at Joiner-Anderson Funeral home in Statesboro on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 1-2 p.m. Any family and close friends who will miss her are encouraged to come and tell us a story to make us all smile. 

Graveside services will follow at Old Fellowship Baptist Church on Hwy. 80, near Stilson. I know for a fact that Mom would rather y’all not spend any money on flowers. Instead, she’d tell you to go out and have a nice meal with someone you care about instead, reminiscing about the good times spent together.

Friends may sign the online register book at www.joineranderson.com

Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro is in charge of arrangements.


Statesboro Herald, January 19, 2025

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Obituary - Delene Clance
Kennedy Funeral Homes, Hooks Chapel
Delene Clance

Delene Clance, beloved wife of Dr. William “Bill” Clance, passed away peacefully at her residence, surrounded by family, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Born in Chatham County, Delene was the daughter of Arthur Dewey West and Dorothea Sapp West McCorkel. 

She was a 1978 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia and dedicated her career to physical therapy.

In 1977, she married Bill Clance, and together, they made their home in Metter in 1980.

In 1984, they welcomed the birth of their son, Christopher. Delene was a devoted wife, mother, Mimi and friend.

She was a devoted member of Metter Methodist Church.

In her younger years, she enjoyed playing tennis, racquetball and water skiing. More recently, she found joy in painting and spending time with her family.

She was preceded in death by her father, Dewey West; her mother and stepfather, Dorothea and Edward McCorkel; and her brothers, A.D. West and Dr. Robert L. West, Sr.

Delene is survived by her husband, Dr. William “Bill” Clance of Metter; her son, Dr. William Christopher Clance, and his wife, Martha Kathryn Clance, of Bluffton; and her cherished granddaughter, Kathryn Hogan Clance. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Cynthia Connell of Macon and Beverly Bynum of Jefferson; a nephew, Robert L. West Jr. of Panama City Beach, Florida; a niece, Jolee Hibbard of Irvine, California; her dedicated caregiver, Angela Mikell; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 3, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kennedy Funeral Homes, Hooks Chapel in Metter.

A funeral service will take place on Friday, April 4, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Metter Methodist Church, with interment to follow at Lake Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Metter Methodist Church, P.O. Box 595, Metter, Georgia 30439.

Kennedy Funeral Homes, Hooks Chapel of Metter, is in charge of the arrangements.


Statesboro Herald, April 3, 2025

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