Sarah Katherine Parks Womble was born at home in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 28, 1931. She went Home to Heaven on September 29, 2015 at the age of 84. She was married to Pop, the late Marion Everett Womble, Jr. for 56 years. She is the mother of three: Gary Womble (wife Melody), Hal Womble (wife Tracey), and Robin Womble Parrish (husband Gil). She was an amazing grandmother to nine: Tadd Womble, Shay Davidson (Reid), Megan Murphy (Richard), Katie Hagenbrok (Ryan), John Gilbert Parrish III, Brennan Parrish (Ann Elizabeth), Spencer Womble, Chase Womble, and Hannah Ray (Lucas). She was so proud of her nine great-grandchildren: Taylor, Madelyn, Elsie, and Lincoln Murphy; Tadd, Beau, Arden and Cooper Davidson, and Zoey Ray.
Mrs. Womble grew up in the mountains of east Tennessee, enjoying time on her grandparents’ farm with her three brothers and gospel music at South Knoxville Church of God. She met her true love Marion as he worked in the Vols concession stand to earn an engineering degree. His 40 years with AT&T took them to Jackson, Nashville, Clarksville, Memphis, and New Jersey. An excellent homemaker, each transfer brought Mrs. Womble new opportunities for service and involvement, including Scout leader, school bus driver, church youth work, choir, and missions trips. They retired to Savannah in 1991 and loved being members of Hopewell Baptist Church.
Determined and persistent, Mrs. Womble had achieved two personal goals in her mid-30’s: she enrolled in night school to finish her high school degree, continuing into nursing school and working at Baptist Hospital in Memphis. She was later a devoted caregiver for her husband in his 5-yr. battle with Alzheimers and spoke to support groups to help others. In her mid-70’s, she impressed her grandchildren by taking a college computer course. In her late 70’s she completed Chaplain’s training to assist with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, traveling with her sleeping bag from Florida to New York. Into her 80’s she served spring and fall at Camp Bluebird, a week-long adult cancer camp, and delivered Meals on Wheels. She never retired from caring for others.
Mrs. Womble loved meeting people, learning their names and stories. She had a gift for finding those who needed her listening ear, glowing smile, or a hug. She enjoyed family photos, reunions, genealogy, and old movies. She was passionate about her convictions and undaunted by challenging conversation on politics, Bible prophecy, current events, and healthy living. For Mrs. Womble, ‘little things’ spoke loudest, like expressing gratitude or sending cards with hand-written notes. She leaves a legacy of faith, encouragement, and kindness in action. In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Womble requested donations to the Hopewell Baptist Church Missions Fund or Camp Bluebird (www.wthfoundation.org).
