Sarah Jane Standard

Sarah Jane Standard died October 1, 2022, at 91 years of age.  Born in Augusta, Georgia on November 10, 1930,  to Henry and Janie Catherine Danner, Sarah spent much of her childhood and all of her adult life in Wilkes County.  She attended school in Augusta and then transferred to Danburg and ultimately completed her degree through correspondence school. She remained an avid student and scholar-- largely self-taught as long as she was able--with a questioning mind and a love for learning. She worked at Royal Manufacturing and its successors for about fifty years in total, starting out folding and pressing shirts and retiring as a national shipping manager for Delta Apparel.  She also assisted her husband with a large family farm and raised seven children, which she and her husband would often describe as their most notable achievement.  She was an active and engaged grandmother and great-grandmother for as long as her body and mind permitted.

With a flock of children, Sarah worked away from home and at home, tending to the garden and canning and freezing produce.  She sewed and cooked, making homemade bread to accompany almost every meal.  She sometimes made chocolate cake for breakfast since it contained, in her words “eggs, flour, and milk just like pancakes.”  (Of course, she sometimes made salmon croquettes for breakfast too, which created quite the unpleasant morning aroma!)  After she retired, she discovered thrift stores and set about to buy every book they had, among other things. She despaired of anything going to waste, but she would happily give away anything she had if she knew someone else wanted or needed it.  Early in retirement, she also walked the fields, bringing home large landscape rocks and digging up flowers to replant in her yard or share with her children and even learned pottery basics from her oldest daughter.

Sometimes stubborn and always opinionated, Sarah was stalwart in her support of human rights and tried to help those in need as long as she was able. As a Christian, she urged us to be more like Christ, chafing at much of the dogma of conventional Christianity.  She loved her home, her place, and in the last few months, when she needed extra care and was moved to The Tignall House, she so longed to be able to go home, threatening to just walk there, although her limited mobility made that unlikely. Sarah’s family is grateful to Amy and the staff at Tignall House for helping to see to her in her final months.

Sarah married the love of her life, Haynes Standard on November 21, 1954.  He predeceased her in 1996, and she missed him every day until she reunited with him after death, commenting almost daily that although the Bible says there are no good men, Haynes came pretty close. She was also predeceased by two of her precious daughters, Jane in 1979 and Susan in 2021, and her only sister Imogene Paschall in 2003.   She is survived by five of her children, Novella (Wayne) Creasman, Genise (Scotty) Scott, Haynes (Elaine) Standard, Timothy (Ginger) Standard, and Melissa (Bill) Dillon and by 14 grandchildren, Angie (Tim) Varvel, Joey (Shannon) Scott, Emmanuel/Harrison Scott, David (Jennifer) Baloun, Amy McCannon, Christopher (Stephanie) Standard, Jamie (Rachel) Standard, Dann (Terri) Standard, Abby (Ed) Boyd, Meredith (Lee) Nappi, Robin (John) Hutt, Lera Harben, SJ Dillon (her namesake), and Jack Dillon. She is also survived by 12 great grandchildren:  Timothy Varvel II; Summer and Emma Scott; Jacob and Ethan Baloun; Michael, Wesley, and Ryan Standard; Molly and Emilee Boyd; and Annabelle and Caroline Nappi; and by numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews, many cousins and other relations.

All are invited to the visitation at Hopkins Funeral Home, Washington, GA on Friday, October 7 from 7-9 pm.  She will be laid to rest at Fishing Creek Baptist Church cemetery in a private family funeral on Saturday, October 8 at 11:00 a.m. with her grandsons as pallbearers and great-grandchildren as honorary pallbearers. A light luncheon will follow in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Fishing Creek Baptist Church Cemetery Fund or to any charity of your choice.