Mrs. Shirley Sue Chastain

Mrs. Shirley Sue Chastain, age 81, of Chatsworth, Georgia, departed this life Sunday evening, March 15, 2026, at Ridgewood Manor, surrounded by her loving family.

Sue was born October 24, 1944, in Franklin, North Carolina, a daughter of the late Fred William and Oralee Lewis Derreberry. She was also preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jerry Lee Chastain; her cherished daughter, Kathie Lynn Durham; sisters, Peggy Alexander, Jean (Junior) Chastain, Patsy (Bill) Gibson; and her brother, Guy Derreberry.

A 1962 graduate of Murphy High School in Murphy, North Carolina, Sue devoted her life to her family as a homemaker. She was a member of Salem Baptist Church and was known by all who knew her as sweet, kind, and funny, with a gentle spirit and a heart full of love. Sue married the true love of her life, her high school sweetheart, and their bond remained an enduring example of devotion. Though he passed in 2012, and her daughter in 2020, her family finds comfort in knowing she is now joyfully reunited with them once again.

Sue loved her family deeply and found her greatest happiness in caring for them and spending time together. Her warmth, laughter, and unwavering kindness will be dearly missed and forever remembered.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Sandra and Michael Rector, and Rachel and Michael Greeson; grandchildren, Brandon (Danielle) Fritz, Noah Fritz, Cody Hall, Jacob Durham, Logan Durham, Dean Fritz, and Tristan Fritz; great-grandchildren, Avalyn Fritz, Cooper Fritz, Harrison Fritz, and Axel Fritz; special niece and caregiver, Brenda Bell; sisters, Cynthia and Johnny Douthit, and Gail Hamby; sister-in-law, Margaret Drake; along with several nieces and nephews.

Services to celebrate the life of Mrs. Shirley Sue Chastain will be held Thursday morning, March 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Ponders Melrose Chapel with Reverend Jim Brinkley officiating. She will be laid to rest with her beloved husband at 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Old Martin’s Creek Cemetery in Cherokee County, North Carolina.

Brandon Fritz, Noah Fritz, Michael Greeson, Michael Rector, Cody Hall, will serve as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends at Ponders Melrose Chapel from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, and after 9:00 a.m. Thursday until the service hour.

Arrangements entrusted to Ponders Melrose Chapel, 138 Melrose Drive, Dalton, GA 30721 706-226-4002 “Your Selected Independent Funeral Home”