Sarah H. Studstill

Sarah Howell Studstill passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, February 5 after a brief battle with cancer.

She was born on March 6, 1937 in Americus, Georgia to Catherine Bruce Howell and Harry Lee (“Buck”) Howell. Affectionately known as “Susie” growing up in Americus, she enjoyed being outside and caring for animals and horses with her older sister Harriette (known as “Koota"). She also loved music and playing piano, making friendships which would last her entire life, and spending summers at her grandparents’ house in Mentone, AL on Lookout Mountain with her sister, cousins and many aunts and uncles. The Mentone House would remain a family gathering place and hosted many wonderful Thanksgivings full of food and family for her and her sister and families for many years.

At Americus High School, she excelled as a Panther on the basketball court and as a cheerleader, where she cheered on the love of her life, Billy Studstill, on the football field, the basketball court and the baseball diamond. After high school, she attended Georgia State College for Women before marrying Billy, who was a student at Georgia Tech, on March 16, 1958. They lived in Atlanta while Billy continued at Georgia Tech, graduating in 1959. After his graduation, they moved to Alexandria, VA, then back home to their beloved Georgia to Dawson, where their family grew with the births of their daughter Catherine Elizabeth (“Candy”) and William Talmage Jr. (“Bill”). After moving to Rome, GA, they welcomed Leigh Ann. The family later relocated to Albany, Georgia where they lived for many years until moving to the Atlanta area in 1977.

Sarah was a gifted nurturer of people, animals and nature. An avid gardener, she created and cared for beautiful outdoor spaces and animals. She was a lover of food and loved to feed the soul by preparing delicious food for loved ones. Her “secret family recipe,” peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and cookies, just to name a few, were legendary and helped to make difficult days a little better. Through genealogy, she loved to discover family bonds and connect with others.

Her love of animals and nature was only rivaled by her fierce love for her family, especially her beloved “grands.” She was an active part of their lives from the moment they were expected and loved cheering them on in their lives- at swim meets, football and basketball games, award ceremonies, concerts, graduations, helping to send them off to college or wherever their dreams took them. She had a strong but quiet faith which never wavered.

Sarah is survived by her children Candy, Bill and Leigh along with her beloved “grands”: Tate and Bruce Lasher (Candy and Steve Lasher); Aspen, Lisa, and Talmage Studstill (Bill and Anne Eichelberger Studstill); and Will and John Harris (Leigh and late husband Ted Harris), cousins James “Jim” “Sonny” R. Johnson, Sherry Bennett Snyder, William B. “Bruce” Bennett and families, and nieces and nephews and families. She is predeceased in death by her best friend and husband, William Talmage Studstill, “Billy,” who passed away in 2016, her parents, and sister Harriette Howell Pentz. A visitation for family and friends in Atlanta will be held Saturday, February 12, 2022 from 2-4 p.m. at A. S. Turner & Sons, 2773 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA 30033. Services and interment will be held Saturday, February 26, 2022 at Hancock Funeral Home, 427 South Lee St. and Oak Grove Cemetery, Americus, GA. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates your gifts of love and support, or donations may be made to your favorite charity in memory of Sarah Howell Studstill.

“I see skies of blue and clouds of white The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself what a wonderful world.” - Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”.