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Celebrating the life of

Elizabeth Renee Chandler Bremer (Renee)

November 13, 1962 - August 25, 2025

Elizabeth Renee Chandler Bremer (Renee)

Elizabeth Renee (Chandler) Bremer “Renee”, 62 (sixty two-riffic as she would say), of the Savannah area, passed away on August 25, 2025, in her beautiful marsh side home, surrounded by her loving family.

Renee was born November 13, 1962, in Marietta, Georgia, the first child of Thomas “Tom” Chandler and Virginia “Ginny” (Anderson) Chandler. Her parents went on to give her four siblings, one sister and three brothers, each as unique and amazing in their own way as the next and each developed a special relationship with Renee as they all grew up. While distance would eventually spread them across the map they are never far from each other’s hearts. 

Renee graduated from St. Vincents Academy in 1980. She initiated study at Armstrong Atlantic University; however, from an early age all Renee wanted to be a mom. She met William J. Bremer III in 1981 while working at C&S Bank on Bull Street and after a sweet courtship, the couple married on June 23, 1984.

Renee’s much anticipated journey into motherhood started on August 26, 1985 with the arrival of their first child, Colleen Elizabeth Bremer. Colleen was not an only child for long and on April 28, 1987, the couple welcomed their son William J. Bremer IV (Jay) into the family. At the time the Bremers’s lived in a cozy home on Washington Avenue off Daffin Park. The family moved to 52nd street for a couple of years and then after a brief stay with Billy’s brother Dr. Patrick Bremer’s home on Tybee Island, the family moved to Bluffton, SC in 1990.

Shortly after settling into their Bluffton home on Rose Dhu Creek, Thomas Patrick Bremer, their third, last (and Renee’s favorite) child completed the family on March 4, 1991.  The family loved their Creekside home where the children played in the sandy bottom waters, crabbing and casting nets, where they could fit giant 12ft Christmas trees in their living room, and where Renee & Billy hosted big, boisterous parties (toga toga!) that went down in local infamy.

In December 1998, the family moved to Holtville (a.k.a. Slapout,) Alabama where Renee found a new groove in lake life, met lifelong friends, and made unforgettable memories on new shores.

In 2002, the family returned to the Savannah area and since then, the family has grown greatly in both love and number. Jay married Elizabeth Shearouse on April 23, 2016 and they gave Renee the distinction of GRANDmother or Nee’ Nee’ as she was styled by her grandchildren, Sam, Finn, and Amelia Bremer.

To Renee’s continued joy, Thomas married Lauren Yeargan on October 16, 2021 and brought her the newest, addition to the family, Virginia Jean Bremer on September 12, 2024. The couple are expecting another child, Warren Joe Bremer, who the family is excited to welcome soon in December 2025. 

Renee brought her family immeasurable love, support and her own brand of joyous living through the little things, like enjoying an ice-cold light beer, feeding backyard birds, making friends with every checkout person at Publix and the Goodwill, and starting simple wonderful traditions like Spaghetti Tuesdays.

Renee had a gifted eye for uniquely beautiful or stylish items from thrift stores, antique/flea markets or country roadside shops. She furnished her home and gardens with these treasures in a way that only she could come up with, such as a mantel full of dried gourds draped in pearls. Never boring, but never over the top (well almost never,) she cultivated a colorful, warm, expressive and exceptional style that was distinctively Renee.

She absolutely relished life, even down to food and mealtimes. Despite being lean and fit for most of her life, she took enormous bites of food and luxuriated in each delicious morsel on hers or (more often) Billy’s plate. She made sure her kitchen, while always spotless like the rest of her home, also always had a tray of homemade brownies should anyone visit or get a sweet tooth.

Known to some as the Energizer Bunny, Renee was up early, no coffee needed, usually donning a sports bra and elastic band shorts ready to tackle any chore she hadn’t already assigned to Billy (the 3rd!) or the kids, mostly the boys. Then she would play and party late, with seemingly boundless energy. And if you have ever gone strolling or shopping with her you would have sworn she was an Olympic speed-walker!

Renee learned to live joyously and courageously through hard times. And even in her final weeks she inspired those around her through her interminable love and spirit to do the same.

Remaining to cherish and live exuberantly in Renee’s memory are her husband, Billy Bremer; her children, Colleen Bremer (Mike Pangallo), Jay Bremer (Elizabeth Bremer) and Thomas Bremer (Lauren Bremer); her grandchildren, Sam, Finn, Amelia and Ginny Jean; her sister, Annette Shepherd; her brothers, Andrew, Vincent, and Michael Chandler; her 9 nieces and nephews; and many loving and cherished friends from Bluffton, Holtville and Savannah.

Preceding Renee in death are her dearly loved parents, Thomas and Virginia Chandler, and her beloved pets, including Ginny, Harvey and Lizzie.

In keeping with Renee’s wishes, a small graveside interment service will be held for family and close friends on Friday September 5, 2025 at 1:00 at Laurel Grove North Cemetery with Kyle Garrison officiating.  

Memorial donations in Renee’s honor may be directed to Tunnels to Towers Foundation at https://t2t.org/, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance at https://ocrahope.org/ or the National Audubon Society at https://act.audubon.org/a/donate.

Her family wishes to express sincere gratitude to all the amazing medical teams and personnel who walked with Renee on her journey.  

And finally, Renee invites everyone reading this to remember to live joyously even and especially in the face of difficult news or times. In her final months, she embraced, FROG, which means Fully Rely On God. And if you see, and or hear, a Carolina Wren, also known as a tiny, feathered tea kettle with the audacity of a bird three times its size, think of her. 

SHARE YOUR CONDOLENCES

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GUEST BOOK

My Dear Good Bremer friends - this is so hard to hear as we know that Renee gave so much life & energy to the family. Living life to the fullest was evident and will be remembered as her legacy. May God bless her & all of you. Please love each other completely and often. Maureen & Tom OB

- Maureen & Tom Obrien, Savannah, Ga

Colleen so sorry for the loss of your mom. May God hold you in the palm of his hands. What an absolutely beautiful obituary.

- Alicia Ce, Savannah, Ga

Services under the direction of:

Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Hodgson Chapel
912-352-7200