Sarah O. Dickson (1920 - 2008)

This afternoon, in the family cemetery in Dickson, Tennessee, we laid to rest my Aunt Sarah, who died last Thursday at the age of 87, after a brief illness. Prior to the burial, we held what turned out to be a lovely memorial service at Erin United Methodist Church in Erin, Tennessee. I was honored to eulogize her for our family and friends in attendance.

I could easily write five thousand words about her life, but I am really, really tired. It's been a tough, difficult week for my entire family. I just haven't been able to find the energy to post anything until now.

Aunt Sarah, my great aunt, actually, has been the matriarch of our family since my grandmother's death a little more than three years ago. In truth, she's been the backbone of our family, along with my mother, for many years. It's a devastating loss for our family.

Aunt Sarah was a country girl at heart, never straying far from our family farm on Yellow Creek in Vanleer, Tennessee. Her father and my great grandfather, Joe Dickson, bought the land for the farm more than 80 years ago. He died at the age of 99 in 1985 and Aunt Sarah has lived there, alone, ever since. She was a retired school teacher, having taught home economics at Houston County High School for many years. She stayed involved in the community and her church, serving on the library board and as a member of the Houston County historical society.

Aunt Sarah loved to cook, loved animals, loved sports (especially the Lady Vols), loved her church and, above all else, loved people. She was one of the most selfless, caring individuals I have ever known. When I visited her at Centennial Hospital last week, in intensive care, she was having difficulty breathing and was receiving oxygen. Still, the first thing she said to me, when I walked into her room, was "how are Jude and John Patrick." That's the kind of person she was, to me and to everyone who knew her.

She knew everyone and everything about everyone in Houston County, Tennessee. Over the past couple of days, I met so many of her longtime friends in Erin, Tennessee, most of whom were kind enough to share a story or anecdote about Aunt Sarah. Truly, she was one of a kind. We'll miss her terribly.