Cheyenne "Boty" Burgans

Cheyenne “Boty” Burgans, age 64, of Rutledge, Alabama, passed away Monday, September 13, 2021, following a weeks-long battle against COVID-19. A funeral service will be held Saturday, September 18, 2021, at 2 p.m. at Pleasant Home Baptist Church (81 Pleasant Home Road, Brantley, AL) with Reverend Randy Burgans officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Home Church Cemetery with Austin Mitchell, Heath Cook, Bo Mount, Roger Morse, Steve Holmes, and Bob Badgery serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Scotty Willis and Dan Driver. Visitation will be Friday, September 17, 2021, from 5 – 7p.m. at Green Hills Funeral Home (1621 S US Hwy 29, Troy, AL).

Boty was born and raised in the Rutledge Community of Crenshaw County, Alabama, enduring all the books and studying he wanted from the Luverne schools until about the 8th grade. Though not a scholastic graduate, Boty did a lifetime of learning. He was self-taught mechanic with a keen sense of auto terrains and a specialization in restoring rumbling life to junkyard finds. He was easily recognized around town in his favorite ride, his white Nissan pick-up truck, and often spotted on the roadside near the Luverne Bridge. Boty was a master line-slinger and knew exactly how to navigate the intricate and diverse structure that makes bridge fishing so dynamic. The mess of fish there was not the only dynamic part of his fishing hole, the stories he reeled in were often just as colossal as the fish he seemed to never bring home. Boty appreciated the gifts of nature, too. He looked forward to the seasons of hushed whitetail gazing, perched turkey sightings, and rural night runs after a hound-tracked coon. It is safe to say camouflage was his favorite color.

Mr. Burgans is survived by his wife of 28 years, Jane Smith Burgans; children, Austin Mitchell (Krista) and Alesha Cook (Heath); step-children, Audrey Morse (Roger), Kathy Green Jefferson, Tammy Barbaree, Deborah Mitchell, Tony Mitchell, and Jesse Mitchell (Sueann); 11 grandchildren; brother, Randolph Burgans (Angela); sister, Fannie Willis (Tommy); three nephews; and one niece. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Sara Furr Burgans; and brothers, Rocky Burgans, Allen Burgans, and Marty Burgans.

The family wishes to extend a special mention of thanks to Scotty Willis for all his extra care and support through the past challenging weeks. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his honor to the Pleasant Home Church Cemetery Fund (C/0 Joanne Dorman, 453 Pleasant Home Road, Brantley, AL 36009). Friends and family can sign the guestbook online at www.greenhillsfuneralhome.net. The staff of Green Hills Funeral Home is honored to serve the Burgans family.