Willie Mae Wertanen

Willie Mae Wertanen, age 91 of Rochelle, passed away Friday, March 2, 2012 in the Life Care Center of Gwinnett in Lawrenceville.Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, March 10, 2012 in the Pope City Baptist Church.Reverend Danny Allen, Reverend Steve Giglio and Reverend Nancylee Cater will officiate.Interment will be in the family plot in the Pope City Cemetery. Mrs. Wertanen was born on April 22, 1920 in Pope City and grew up in Wilcox County.She was daughter of the late Acie T. Pope and Cora Dell Pope.She was the eldest of 12 children and grew up during the Great Depression.She met Reynold J. Wertanen in Brunswick, Ga. in December 1941 and married him two weeks later.They were married for 62 years. She enjoyed quilting and making hand loomed rugs and attended many craft shows in the southeast making new friends wherever she was.She was a member of the Rochelle United Methodist Church and was a homemaker.She volunteered several years for the Board of Elections in Rochelle, Ga. and took great pride in her civic duty.She was preceded in death by her husband, Reynold J. Wertanen, her son, Roger A. Wertanen and her grandson, Alexander Pace. She is survived by:sons-Rick T. Wertanen and his wife, Janet of Buford and Robert M. Wertanen of Rochelle and a daughter, Rita J. Cooper and her husband, Frank of Buford.She has 11-grandchildren and 12-great-grandchildren.She is also survived by her sisters, Ruby Hannah of Pineview, Janie Anderson of Rochelle and Ola Nell Gibbs of Abbeville and her brothers, Albert Pope and Bobby Pope both of Pineview. The family will receive family and friends from 6-8 PM Friday, March 9th in Frazier and Son Funeral Home. Pallbearers will be:Bobby Gibbs, Jr., Mike Gibbs, Dane Anderson, Cary Cooper, MarK Wertanen and Michael Wertanen. Music will be provided by Rhonda Henderson, Sherrie Land and Vickie Brown. Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle is in charge of arrangements.