Southwest Georgia legislators remember former Lee County politician Ed Rynders

May 14—ALBANY — Colleagues of former state Rep. Ed Rynders expressed shock at the death this week of the former lawmaker who was in office for 16 years before resigning in 2019.

Rynders, a Republican who lived in Lee County while representing House District 152, was first elected in 2002. Rynders, 62, died on Friday.

"I talked to his wife, Jane, yesterday and it was very sad to hear what was going on," state Rep. Gerald Greene, D-Cuthbert, said on Friday. "The speaker of the House sent out a message today informing everyone of his passing.

"Many legislators were shocked to learn (of Rynders' passing). It all happened so quickly. He was resting. It appeared his heart was getting stronger, and then this happened."

Greene, whose District 151 includes a portion of Dougherty County, served with Rynders as part of the Albany delegation, and both chaired House committees during the time they served together.

"He was a character," Greene said. "He would say, 'Man, I'm going to give you some inside-baseball knowledge. This is what's going on.'

"He was a really good listener. He was a really good politician, just aware of what was going on around him, just an all-around good American. He was a great advocate for southwest Georgia. He really cared about Georgia, and he cared about southwest Georgia."

The two legislators also had a good relationship and frequently communicated during the time they served together.

"I would call him and talk to him about issues," Greene said. "That was important to both of us. He was always a real good friend."

State Rep. Bill Yearta, who won a special election runoff in December 2019 to complete Rynders' unexpired term and was re-elected in 2020, remembered Rynders as a lawmaker who worked well with elected officials in his district. Yearta served as mayor of Sylvester during the time Rynders was in office.

"He was a very effective legislator for our area and worked really hard for the district," Yearta said. "He helped with a number of CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) projects. He helped with some projects on the extension of the airport. He worked very hard for District 152: Worth and Lee and Sumter counties."

The former legislator will be missed by his colleagues, Yearta said.

"It was certainly a shock to lose Ed this morning," he said. "We're praying for his wife Jane and his family. It was certainly a shock to us."