Ethel Hartwell Rutledge of Chatsworth, GA, passed peacefully on December 17, 2021.

She was 99 years old and was preceded in death by her parents Ray V. Hartwell and Leola Massengale Hartwell, sister Betty Harriet Hall, brother Ray V. Hartwell, husband Walter Edward Rutledge, and her daughter Sterling Rutledge Bills.

She was born in Atlanta and attended Agnes Scott College and GA State University, where she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees and met her husband of 56 years, Walter Rutledge. Ethel was passionate about teaching children and was a teacher in the Atlanta School System for 30 years. She taught grades K-7 during her career. Her last school was Garden Hills Elementary. In 1986, Ethel and Walter decided to build their retirement home at the top of Fort Mountain, and lived

there until 2002. They then moved into a home in the valley where she lived until her death. Shortly after moving to Chatsworth, Ethel noticed there were lots of abandoned dogs and cats on the mountain and throughout the county. As a lover of animals, she helped to co-found the Murray County Humane Society. She established relationships with many local businesses to request donations and published a cookbook to help raise money for what would become the Murray County Humane Society.

She was a member of St Mark's Episcopal Church in Dalton and also attended the Grandmother's Group at the Methodist Church in Chatsworth. She maintained her memberships in the Robert Loughridge Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Magna Charta Dames and Barons, and Delta Kappa Gamma.

Ethel is survived by her two daughters Alicia Rutledge Willis of Richmond Hill, GA, and Lorena Rutledge Cavanaugh of Chattanooga, TN. She has two grandchildren, Virginia Elizabeth Willis and Caison Edward Cavanaugh, and her great-grandson, Finnegan Walter Cano. She also has many nephews and nieces whom she adored.

A celebration of Ethel's extraordinary life will take place at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 11:00.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Murray County Humane Society where she gave so much of her time and passion. Their address is -Murray County Humane Society 12097 Hwy 225 N Crandall, GA 30711.