LAVONIA — A former Georgia first lady who worked to improve living conditions for Georgia’s disabled and mentally ill patients died Wednesday, Jan. 17.
Sybil Elizabeth “Betty” Russell Vandiver, widow of former Gov. S. Ernest Vandiver of Lavonia, was also the niece of former Gov. Richard B. Russell Jr.
A graduate of Winder High School, she majored in social work at the University of Georgia.
She married attorney S. Ernest Vandiver on Sept. 3, 1947, supporting her husband in political endeavors such as his selection as Georgia’s adjutant general, and his election as lieutenant governor and governor, and his 1972 candidacy for U.S. Senate. They had been married for 58 years at the time of his death in 2005.
When she was First Lady of Georgia at age 35, (1959-1963), she and Gov. Vandiver lived in the previous mansion, a granite estate in The Prado in Ansley Park, with no staff.
The Vandivers were particularly concerned about Georgia’s disabled and mentally ill patients, most of whom were housed in the state institution in Milledgeville. The Vandivers worked quickly to improve living conditions, hire nationally-recognized doctors, and raise money to build a “Chapel of All Faiths” on the grounds of the hospital where patients previously had no place to worship.
She also worked with the Georgia Municipal Association to found the Mayors' Christmas Motorcade as a way of providing holiday gifts for the patients of Georgia's mental health hospitals. In 2009, the GMA honored Mrs. Vandiver on the 50th anniversary of the program. The Georgia Mayors’ Motorcade continues today.
Mrs. Vandiver adopted her husband’s hometown of Lavonia as her own and was involved in Lavonia First Baptist Church, The Lavonia Woman's Club, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Daughters of the Confederacy. She was the last surviving member of her bridge club made up of some of her closest friends, which met regularly for more than 40 years. She was known for her humility, gracious hospitality, vivacious personality and delightful sense of humor.
The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 at Lavonia First Baptist Church. A private burial will follow the service in Lavonia City-Burgess Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the Strickland Funeral Home of Lavonia from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19.
Memorials may be made to the Lavonia First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 47, Lavonia, GA 30553 or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org).
