Thelma "Colene" Durden

Praise be to God! On February 28th, 2024, Colene Durden left this Earth and went home to live with Jesus in Heaven. Colene entered Heaven's pearly gates in time to finish her 90th birthday celebration with the family and friends who had gone on before her. Colene was preceded in death by her parents, Emory and Clydia Cantrell; husband, David Durden; and siblings, Barbara Ruark and Kenneth Cantrell. Also joining her at her homecoming in Heaven were her daughters, Donna Traylor-French, Mary Jo Bradberry, Jewell Mitchell and Elizabeth Clack. The matriarch of a LARGE southern family, she is survived by children, David Clack, Dianne Cotton, Brenda Rittenhouse, Thelma Cheek, Angie Cox and Davida Greene; along with 23 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 2 great-GREAT-grandchildren - with several more on the way! Also mourning her passing are a large extended family of a daughter-in-law, numerous sons-in-law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great nephews.Colene was born in her family home in Roswell, GA on February 28, 1934. She spent her youth in the heart of Downtown Atlanta before she married and left Downtown to reside for several decades in the DeKalb and Cobb County areas. As a young woman, she spent many years as a homemaker and caregiver. Later, as her children grew, matured and left home, she took employment for many years as an office manager for Athens-Atlanta Asphalt. Later, she moved to Gwinnett County, where she resided for nearly 40 years in Lawrenceville. Her hobbies included the love of music, needlepoint and sewing, her most notable projects including sewing Sunday and formal dresses. From the time Colene learned to read she enjoyed her books. She spent countless hours quietly ensconced in this cherished pastime, discovering adventure and far-away places. At the time of her passing, her private library included several thousand books of both fiction and non-fiction, spanning a multitude of subjects.Grandma reminds you to quiet your sorrows, to celebrate her beautiful life and to remember that she waits for you to join her in Heaven where she lives in peace with Our Lord Jesus Christ.A Funeral Service Honoring the Life of Colene will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 1:00PM at Tom M. Wages Lawrenceville Chapel. Interment will follow at East Shadowlawn Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends on Monday, March 4th from 5:00PM-8:00PM.Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, 120 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30046 (770-963-2411) – Lawrenceville Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.Read Obituary