Rubert Hogan McLees, of Buford, Georgia, unexpectedly passed into glory on Sunday, October 4, 2026, and is face to face with his Savior.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, October 9th, at Northview Cemetery in Dublin, Georgia.

Born in Greenwood, SC, on April 25, 1956, Bert was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He was a proud graduate of Auburn University, where he received a BS in Industrial Engineering before later earning a master's degree from Mercer University. A lifelong lover of learning, he went back to school in his retirement and received a Master of Divinity from Metro Atlanta Seminary.

Bert was a storyteller, often pausing to laugh before getting to the highlight of the story. He was a golf cart driver, delighting in shuttling grandchildren back and forth to the pool. He was a country boy at heart, enjoying getaways to "the farm" in his hometown of Dublin, Georgia. He was generous, quick to meet needs he saw. He served as a director of Laurens Bancshares, holding company of the Bank of Dudley, which a Hogan relative co-founded many years ago. He loved his church, Perimeter Church, where he served as an elder and Sunday School teacher for many years. He wrote a gospel booklet so he could quickly and easily share the gospel with men at the gym or those who crossed his path.

Bert was preceded in death by his father and mother, Dr. William Gordon McLees and Mrs. Barbara Hogan McLees, and two pre-born grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Carol; three daughters, Lauren (Gene) Garmon, Mary Beth (Ryan) Smith, and Laney (Jake) DeMaris; nine grandchildren; and his brother Bill (Jo Ellen) McLees, as well as nieces and cousins.

He loved his grandkids: backyard baseball, golf cart trips, sips of his Coke, swimming pool fun, birthday spend-the-nights, family trips, and he wasn't afraid to get down on the floor and play.

He loved his daughters: too many family trips to count, years of advice, a lifetime of hugs.

He loved his wife. For 43 years, he and Carol walked through the joys and sorrows of life together: grieving deaths, celebrating births, taking trips, cheering on the Braves and Tigers, and so much more.

He loved his Savior, Jesus Christ. He wanted others to know him. To know that sin and death are real, but because of Christ, death will one day be no more for those who believe in Him. "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ". 1 Cor 15: 54b-57