Sandra Watson Lampton

Sandra Watson Lampton of Gainesville went to her celestial home on October 5 after an extended illness, during which she exhibited courage and hope, despite increasingly difficult odds.

Sandra was born April 30, 1938 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the beloved only child of Joseph Horace and Ora Bolin Watson, who predeceased her. The family moved to Columbia, Mississippi where she enjoyed a fulfilling high school career as a cheerleader, Marion County Forestry Queen, actress in school plays and an active church life in the youth program.

While singing in the choir, a seventeen-year old boy admired her fourteen-year old poise and asked her for a date soon afterward. That led to her marriage to Bill Lampton, also from Columbia. On September 6 they celebrated their sixty-second wedding anniversary.

After helping her husband and daughters earn their graduate degrees, she resumed her education, completing her Masters Degree in Education at Brenau University. Sandra then taught for more than two decades at Oakwood Elementary School. She displayed a remarkable talent for helping students achieve beyond their expectations while enjoying the challenge.

She was an active volunteer at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, delivering flowers to elderly members. She was a physical fitness devotee, Georgia football fan and lover of her toy poodle Georgia. Those blessed to know her considered her a quintessential southern lady, warm and gracious.

Survivors include her husband Dr. Bill Lampton, daughters Shelley Jenkins of Savannah and Suzanne Derrick (Kevin) of Columbia, South Carolina, along with four grandchildren Collin (Brittni), Megan, Jay, and Mary Leigh, and great-grandson Wyatt, as well as a large extended family group.

She will be remembered for her love of family, adherence to etiquette, and her elegant style.

Memorial services will be held 3:00 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 9, 2019 at the Ward’s Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Stewart Higginbotham officiating. The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. until service time on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be made to the family atwww.wardsfh.com

Ward’s Funeral Home of Gainesville is honored to serve the family of Sandra Watson Lampton.