  Denison - Sarah Elizabeth Blankenship Dye passed from this life to the arms of her Savior Saturday, September 8, 2012 in Denison. Sarah was born May 6, 1935, the fourth child of George Warren and Emma Wiest Blankenship. She grew up in the Hyde Park area of Denison, graduated from Denison High School and earned her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She taught for many years in the Denison Independent School District, first as a kindergarten teacher at Central Annex, and then as computer literacy teacher at B McDaniel, retiring in 1994. Many who attended Denison school remember her as a pioneer of local educational technology with her stories and reading lessons on television. Sarah
is survived by her three sons, Robert J. Dye of Denison, Ben Dye and Leigh of
Sherman and Dr. Bill Dye and Amy of Monroe, Louisiana. She delighted in her ten
grandchildren, Jennifer of McKinney and Lindsey of Denison; Bentley (Brandi),
Emily, Bradley and Bailey of Sherman; Billy (Catherine), Matthew and Micah of
Monroe, and Andrew (Hallie) of Baton Rouge. She is also survived by her brothers
and sisters: George W. (Billie) Blankenship of Austin, Bill (Virginia)
Blankenship of Sherman, Marilyn Hogenson of Pottsboro, Jerry (Judy) Blankenship
of Lake Whitney, and Kathy Dophied of Pottsboro, as well as a multitude of
devoted nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
Memorial
services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at Calvary Baptist Church
in Denison with Dr. Bill Dye and Reverend Danny Broughton officiating. Grandsons
will serve as pallbearers. Burial will follow at Georgetown Cemetery. The family
will receive visitors Monday evening at 6 p.m. at Johnson-Moore Funeral
Home.
A
staunch advocate of all children, Sarah was passionate about helping her special
needs granddaughter, Lindsey. She spent lots of time with her Lindsey, content
to watch the same musicals over and over, listen to the same songs a thousand
times, and flip through magazines searching for daddy-pictures as long as
Lindsey wanted her to. She enjoyed making Lindsey's lunch each day for school,
and took pride in being the one who could get Lindsey to swallow her medicine
when nobody else could.
Sarah
was an ardent student of Grayson County History. She loved visiting with Judge
R.C. Vaughan and other knowledgeable enthusiasts, researching historical events,
and cataloguing old cemeteries. She was primarily responsible for the donation
of several buildings to Grayson County Frontier Village at Loy Lake, where for
years she was an active supporter in preserving the heritage of this area. She
researched her own family background, compiling information on Blankenships and
Bradleys, and wrote several pieces of historical fiction centering around her
ancestors. She particularly enjoyed sitting on the porch of the Sallie B,
looking over land that has belonged to her family since 1836.
In
addition, Sarah rescued numerous dogs over the years, some from the shelter and
some who just appeared on her doorstep, and she cared for them as if they were
her children, taking them for rides and visits to the drive-by window at
McDonald's.
Sarah
was a strong, capable woman with a lively wit and boundlesss curiosity. She
loved her family and friends unconditionally, and was never too busy or tired to
offer a listening ear, a helping hand, a comforting word when she was needed. A
loving, indulgent grandmother, she could make any celebration joyful, never
forgetting children's birthdays. While she was frugal in providing for herself,
Sarah loved giving to her grandchildren. She was a wonderful mother, welcoming
her sons' friends into her home--in their youth, at all hours of the day and
night. She was the hub of her family, the woman everyone turned to for support
and guidance, and she will be sorely missed, even as they rejoice that she has
no more pain. While her severe rheumatoid arthritis curtailed many activities,
Sarah chose not to complain or take to her bed, but continued to maintain her
home and her independence, turning her efforts to becoming a prayer warrior for
her family and friends, devoting hours to her ministry.
Donations
in Sarah's memory may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 300 W. Acheson St.,
Denison, TX 75020.
This
comment was left on her obituary by David
D. Blankenship of Fayetteville AR - September 14,
2012
" As
the oldest son of now also deceased youngest son, David Burnham Blankenship, of
6 brothers by George David and Sarah Talitha Blankenship, I want to convey to
Sarah's entire immediate and extended families my and my family's sincerest
condolences in this shared loss of my cousin, Sarah. Loving matriarchs like her
are difficult to replace, but hopefully Sarah will live on in the children,
grandchildren, and students whom she influenced. "  Georgetown Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |