Jere' McMahn

1931 - 2025

Jere' McMahan, age 93, passed away peacefully June 10, 2025 at the Lakes Assisted Living in Gainesville, Georgia.


Jere' was born July 15, 1931 in Anaconda, Montana to the late Vivian McAtee Sewell and Bert Wilson Sewell. She attended 13 different schools in 12 years, graduating from East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. She received a scholarship to the University of Utah school of marketing and retailing. She pledged Delta Gamma sorority.


Yet another move took her to Southern California where she met her husband of 67 years, Henry (Hank) L McMahan, Jr. They met in Hollywood and were married in the Little Brown Church in the Valley, Studio City, CA. Ten years later the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Hank had grown up. The family moved to Lake Lanier, Cumming, GA in 1969 and then after the kids had grown up and moved out of the house, Hank and Jere' moved to Gainesville, Georgia where they opened their antique store, Backyard Antiques.


Jere' worked most of her life doing things she enjoyed; Welcome Wagon, Avon, Kindergarten teacher at Deer Creek Shores Presbyterian Church, where she was a founding member.


But she still had time to be very involved in her children's lives and very active in the schools they attended from making majorette outfits, manning the snack shack at football games to PTO and room mother.


Jere' loved spending time with her many, many friends and family. She was actively involved with Garden Club, Red Hat, P.E.O., volunteer at Northeast Georgia Medical Center and her church, Unity of Gainesville, where she was a founding member.


She never met a stranger and was open to going and doing at the first invitation. She could walk into a room of strangers and leave with a newfound friend. She would always leave a person, whoever it was, feeling better about themselves than before she met them. She just had that way about her. Always positive and uplifting.


She loved the water, being at the pool, the beach or Lake Lanier, where she lived for many years. She enjoyed crafts, sewing, reading, cooking and entertaining, jewelry and scanning yard sales for her antique store or later, after closing the store, for her booth in an antique mall.


One of Jere's joys in life was giving. She gave her time, her advice, attention and she just loved giving gifts to anyone for any occasion.


Her theme of life was to follow the Golden Rule; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Matthew 7:12. She even printed calling cards with the scripture to hand out to people.


Jere' is preceded in death by her husband, Hank. She is survived by her sister, Judy Jones of Balboa Island, CA, her children, Jennifer McMahan Smith, Cumming, GA, and her son, Dan McMahan (Lori), Murrayville, GA, her grandchildren, Tom McMahan, Austin, TX, Billy McMahan, Doraville, GA, Bobby McMahan (Caroline), Dunwoody, GA, David McMahan (Karen), Murrayville, GA, Austin Smith (Gen), Dawsonville, GA, and 6 great grandchildren, which she adored!


Jere' was a light to all who knew her. Her infectious smile and sparkling blue eyes will be missed by many!


Celebration of Life will be held:


Saturday November 1, 2025, 11:00 am


Unity of Gainesville

3415 Stancil Rd.

Gainesville, GA 30506