Lynease Stanley

REIDSVILLE:

Lynease Bowen was born on Feb. 9, 1936 in Rhine, Georgia, Dodge County, the daughter of the late Willie Mae Coley and Andrew Jackson Bowen. She graduated from Rhine High School in 1953 and then attended business school in Macon, graduating in 1954. On July 12, 1956 she married Howard Stanley of Telfair County, her high school sweetheart, and was completely devoted to him as a loving wife until his death in July 2012. Lynease and Howard were blessed with two sons, William (married to Jane) and Lee; and later with two granddaughters, Erika Stanley and Amber Wilkinson (married to B.J.). Lynease was proud to be great-grandmother to young Levi and Mirinda Wilkinson.

Besides her immediate family, Lynease is survived by two sisters, Jewel Cook (married to Clarence) of McRae, Ga. and Ann Simmons of Gainesville, Ga., as well as many nieces and nephews.

Lynease retired from many years at Tattnall Bank, working her way up from a teller to a loan Administrator. She was an active and faithful member of Reidsville Baptist Church and leaves behind her church family, especially her close-knit Sunday School class. She was an Honorary Member of the Garden Club, having been a member for over 25 years, and gave many hours of service to its projects in the community.

Lynease was an extraordinary homemaker and her home and gardens were a showplace. Her residence on Old River Road was beautifully decorated and always immaculate, while at the same time being welcoming and comfortable. She excelled at creating a stunning home and at inviting friends into it. She enjoyed company and made everyone feel welcome under her roof. She loved children. In addition, she was a great cook and friends and family alike looked forward to being at her table. One of her spectacular talents was hospitality.

She loved flowers intensely and shared this love with her husband. Their yard was like a well-kept botanical garden filled with hundreds of iconic Southern plants like daylilies, camellias and hydrangeas. In spring so many dogwoods bloomed that snow appeared to be falling in their yard. She loved the natural world and paid attention to it – nature was full of beauty, which Lynease appreciated. She kept bird feeders and watched birds for hours. She especially loved hummingbirds. All of her life she deeply loved the forests and wildlife of her region.

In addition, Lynease was an avid reader. She was a regular patron of Tattnall County Public Library and over the years checked out and read hundreds of books.

Howard and Lynease shared so many interests that when he died, she never got over losing him. She continued with her hobbies, but her zeal for them had faded. In late 2016 she suffered a stroke from which she never fully recovered. She died of complications resulting from the stroke.

Lynease will be dearly missed by her family; by the members of Reidsville Baptist Church; by her colleagues in the Garden Club; and by her neighbors in the Altamaha Community of Tattnall, where she spent so many happy years of her life.

The family will receive friends Wednesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm from the funeral home.  Graveside funeral services will be conducted 1:00pm Thursday, May , 2017 from Rockwell Baptist Church Cemetery near Milan with the Reverends Dr. Chuck Jonas and Benny Moore officiating.

Memorials may be given to Community Hospice Foundation, P.O. Box 2277, Vidalia, GA 30475.

Low Country Cremation and Burial is serving the Stanley Family.  www.bradleybanderson.com