Many in Hartwell, Georgia in mourning at the loss of business couple

(The following account courtesy of Lake Hartwell Radio WLHR, Lavonia)

The investigation by the NTSB continues into the untimely deaths of Cateechee Golf and Country Club owners Charly and Kelli Schell. Over the weekend, the following statement was issued by management at Cateechee: “It is with profound sadness and heavy heart that we announce the untimely passing of Charly and Kelli Schell. The love Charly and Kelli shared for Hartwell and its community inspired the purchase of Cateechee in 2017. Cateechee has provided special memories for many of us, and we will continue the legacy that Charly and Kelli paved; and the business model that embraces the community. We ask that you please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers, as additional information will be uploaded onto Cateechee’s Facebook page when it becomes available.” The couple died last Thursday when their plane crashed northwest of Johnson County Airport in Buffalo, Wyoming in the Big Horn Mountains. Sources tell WLHR News Charly Schell was on his way home to Hart County for a business meeting on Friday. Last Thursday, Schell had reportedly had just refueled his plane for the flight back to Georgia but was grounded due to bad weather in Wyoming. Once the bad weather passed he took off but went off the radar 17 minutes later.  Pilot friends of the Schells here tell WLHR News Charly may have hit strong winds coming off the Big Horn Mountains and may not have been able to pull out of it. It will be some time however before the NTSB is able to make a definite determination as to the cause of the crash. Temporary flight restrictions have been put into place over the airspace 15 nautical miles northwest of Buffalo to provide a safe environment for an investigation into the accident, as well as for search and rescue, according to the FAA’s flight restriction website. The restriction began at 5:30 p.m. Friday and is scheduled to last until 11 p.m. Monday, July 25.  During that time, no pilots may operate an aircraft in the area. Meantime, in their hometown of Hartwell, Mayor Brandon Johnson said his town is in shock over the deaths of a couple who were a major force for good in the community.Johnson said it was Charly Schell who saved Cateechee, which includes an eighteen-hole Audubon International golf course, a restaurant and bar, lodging, and wedding and event venues. He said because of the Schells, Cateechee is once again a profitable business and an asset to the region.“So after several years of trying to get that property turned over to new owners, Charly called me and said, ‘Mayor I’m thinking about buying the golf course,’ Johnson said. “He said, ‘it would be a big undertaking and we would need all participation and help from the City of Hartwell we can get.’ and I said, ‘You got it, Charly, and thanks for helping Hartwell.’ And they jumped right in, invested a lot of money and a lot of hard work, and really transformed that place.” Hart County Commission Chair Marshall Sayer tells WLHR News Kelli Schell was recently appointed to represent Hart County on the Joint Development Authority Board which consists of Hart, Franklin, and Stephens Counties. “Hart County is a different place now without them,” he stated. “They were very good community supporters, doing whatever they could to make Hart County a better place to live. They have influenced so many people here in Hart County and surrounding counties. They were very good community people.”State Representative Alan Powell had known Charly Schell all of his life and said he was broken-hearted when he learned of their passing.“I watched Charly grow up. His momma and daddy and I are friends. Charly was a fine young man. He went into the military and when he got out of the military he went into business. He was an aggressive businessman. He did very well in business. Then he married Kelli. There’s not a sweeter girl in the world and they worked together. Words can’t describe the emotions that I have. The closest I can say it literally broke my heart when I learned of their passing,” Powell said.Jon Paul Schell, Charly’s brother said on his Facebook page the Schell family appreciates the community’s outpouring of love and support.