Ethelyne Turnage Lingle departed this life on August 21, 2023. She is survived by her children and sons-in-law: Catherine and Don Bruce, Shelton Lingle, and Ardin and Josh Chastain; her grandchildren: Anna Bruce, Journey Baughman, and Keller Baughman; and her brothers and sisters-in-law: Binnie and Jo Turnage and Robert and Mary John Turnage. Several nieces and nephews also survive.

Ethelyne was born on January 8, 1946, in Water Valley, Mississippi, to Wade Watkins Turnage and Catherine Baine Turnage. She attended the University of Mississippi, married, and eventually settled in Ellijay, Georgia. Ethelyne went on to obtain her Masters and Educational Specialist degrees while working as a teacher in Gilmer County Schools. She began her career at Ellijay Primary, then spent the majority of her career at Oakland Elementary, retiring when the school closed.

She was exceptionally close to her brothers. The love instilled in them by their parents was evident in the way she and her brothers loved each other unconditionally. That legacy of love and faith was mirrored in the strong bond of friendship she maintained with her childhood friends and neighbors, staying in close touch through visits, letters, and Facebook until the day she died.

Our mom loved people well, and expressed that love through writing notes to others (she had beautiful handwriting), crocheting many baby blankets, and serving her community and church family. During her 40 plus years as a member of Ellijay First United Methodist Church, she was a fixture in the choir, women's fellowship, VBS, and many other outreach ministries.

In her spare time, Ethelyne loved coffee, music, singing, dancing, shopping, coffee, SEC football, PBS Masterpiece Mystery, coffee, and reading Agatha Christie books. She also loved dogs of all sizes and breeds. Her sense of humor was legendary: she loved puns and telling corny jokes.

In 2014, Ethelyne was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease that eventually robbed her of her ability to walk, talk, eat, write, and care for herself. She pushed back with everything she had, diligently going to PT, adjusting to a feeding tube, receiving care at home, and finally moving to Wildwood Health Care in Talking Rock to receive the skilled nursing care she needed. Despite challenges and setbacks, she never let the disease rob her of her joy. She maintained her sense of humor in the face of difficult circumstances, often pranking the caregivers and causing mischief. She stayed engaged by sharing her thoughts on a small dry-erase board she kept with her. She loved the staff at Wildwood fiercely, and they loved her and cared for as if she were their own. She took great delight in having visitors and receiving mail or Facebook messages.

The greatest source of her strength was Jesus. Even after Mom was unable to hold her Bible or turn pages, she maintained her morning quiet time with the Lord. Her caregivers would set her up with her Bible and her daily devotional reading, then they would leave her to have her prayer time with the Lord. She loved praying for others. She often quoted her life verse of Phillipians

4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." She also took hope in the words of a favorite hymn. Anytime she was asked how she was doing, she would respond with a broad smile and say "It is well with my soul." This unwavering source of her strength allowed her to persevere through difficulty and pain, to meet every challenge with tenacity and unparalleled grace.

Two memorial services are planned: one in Ellijay, and one in her hometown of Water Valley, MS. The celebration of life in Ellijay will be held on Friday, September 15th at 4:00 PM from the Ellijay First United Methodist Church, and the family will receive friends after the service. The celebration of life in Water Valley, MS will be held on Saturday, October 7th at 11:00 AM from the Water Valley First United Methodist Church, and the family will receive friends before the service from 10:00 AM until the service hour at the church. Mrs. Lingle wished for everyone to wear happy colors and no black clothing to these services.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital through her memorial donation page: https://raise.stjude.org/elingle

Bernhardt Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.