COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A house explosion killed a retired teacher from metro Atlanta and now communities in two states are remembering her.
Ann McLean was the sister of Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wood.
"We were very close so it was a shock," Wood said.
Wood is used to comforting victims' families; now, he and his family are the ones who need comfort after the sudden loss of his sister. She was the oldest of eight children.
"(She was) pretty much the matriarch since our parents died so we (would) call her when we needed advice," Wood said.
McLean died in a house explosion in Grand Lake, Colorado. Investigators believe a gas leak caused the explosion that leveled their home.
Wood said the news still hasn't sunk in.
“I handled it like a call really because it wasn’t real to me and sometimes I feel it coming on," Wood said.
McLean and her husband, Mark, retired as teachers from Newnan High School and moved to Colorado.
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Wood said the family's coping as best they can. For now, he's just trying to stay busy.
“That’s why I’m at work. It helps me not think about it and we’re waiting on the body to come in at the airport hopefully she’ll be coming home soon," Wood said.
Messages of support are pouring in from the community.
“They’re telling us now that she taught them and they’ve become a teacher because of her," he said.
The sheriff and his family are leaning on their faith to get through.
“Yes, that’s the only thing that gets us through it. My church, my preacher, it keeps us strong," he said.
Ann's husband, Mark McLean, suffered critical injuries in the explosion.
Wood told us he's expected to pull through but will face a long recovery with multiple surgeries.
Cox Media Group
