Betty Flemister Mclean

Mrs. Betty Sheppard Flemister McLean, age 101, of Sandersville, Georgia passed away on December 9, 2021, at the Washington County ECF.  A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 19, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Sandersville with Reverend Lee Lacey officiating.  A reception will be held in the Social Hall of the Church following the Memorial Service where the family will greet friends.

Affectionately known as “Miss Betty” or “Gran” to many people, she began her life on March 10, 1920, in Tennille, Georgia.  She was the daughter of the late Horace A. Sheppard and Ammie Lord Sheppard.  She was educated in the public schools of Sandersville and attended Georgia State College for Women (GSCW), now known as Georgia College and State University. While there she received her Bachelor's degree in education and received the honor of being named Miss GSCW for two consecutive years.

On April 17, 1940, she married Edgar J. Flemister, of Milledgeville, Georgia and they were blessed with two sons, Ed and Mack.  After her husband’s service in World War II, they lived for a few years in Rome, Georgia, where she taught high school English. They then moved to Sandersville, where they worked together in the family business, Flemister Oil Company.  She was an excellent bookkeeper and businesswoman.

Upon their retirement, they moved to the warmer climate of south Florida and spent many happy years there with their friends in the retirement community of FT. Lauderdale.  Several years after her husband’s death in 1993, she began a new chapter in her life when, at the age of nearly 80, she married Joseph F. McLean, originally from Pennsylvania and a friend whom they had made in Ft, Lauderdale.  He and Betty enjoyed ten years of being happily married, were active in their community and enjoyed traveling, including a trip to Europe. In May, of 2008, they moved back to Sandersville, where Joe died in October of that year.

Betty loved her home of Sandersville, her church, First Baptist Church, where she was a member since 1926, making her the oldest member of the church.  She taught several Sunday schools classes, lastly, the Senior Adults Sunday School Class, and was a member of the Joy Club.

An avid bridge player, music lover, reader, crossword puzzle solver, and a devoted and unabashed Georgia Bulldog fan, Betty remained active, adventurous, and fashionable until shortly before her death.  Her inner and outer beauty and her indomitable spirit never diminished through her life. And she was truly an inspiration to all.

Preceding her death were her parents, her first husband, Edgar J. Flemister; her second husband, Joseph F. McLean; her brothers, Edwin L. Sheppard, and Aubrey L. Sheppard, and her first daughter-in-law, Ann L. Flemister.  Survivors are her two sons, Edgar J. Flemister, Jr. and his wife Priscilla of Sandersville; and Aubrey (Mack) Flemister, of Milledgeville; her grandson, Edgar J. (Jeff) Flemister, III, of North Carolina; her stepdaughter, Jackie Potts, of Boynton Beach, Florida, and a host of beloved cousins and friends.

The family wishes to extend its sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr. Arthur B. Chandler, Dr. Mark Harvey, Dr. Kim Kitchens, Mrs. Layne Kitchens, the staff of the Washington County ECF, the staff of the Tennille Retirement Home, and to the doctors and nurses of the Washington County Regional Memorial Hospital for their excellent and dedicated care to Betty.

The family request that donations be made to First Baptist Church of Sandersville Family Assistance Fund, 316 Mathis Circle, Sandersville, Georgia 31082.

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.  Leave a condolence at www.mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com