Sandra Gambill's Obituary
Sandra Carrole Deaton Gambill (Sandie), age 81, of Mooresville, NC, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 19 in Huntersville, NC, where she was surrounded by loving family for the last weeks of her life.
Born on July 2, 1944 in St. Pauls, NC to Thomas N. Deaton and Mildred Rawls Deaton, Sandie grew up near Goldsboro, NC and graduated from Goldsboro High School. She was in college in Raleigh, NC when she met and married her sweetheart, Sidney Carrick Gambill (Rick), in January of 1966. Together their life and work took them to several small towns in Western North Carolina. They raised two sons, and spent 59 years adventuring together including cross country motorcycle trips, playing Santa to seven lucky grandchildren as Granny and Pop, and loving their precious Havanese, Bella.
Sandie was known for her love of friends and family, her joy on the dance floor, and her fondness for a day on the beach hunting seashells and shark teeth. She spent her career in many roles, including as secretary at her sons’ elementary school, where she was known to call in sick one day every March so she and the boys could watch the Wolfpack in the ACC Basketball Tournament together. She was Executive Director at both the Ashe County and Wilkes County Chambers of Commerce. After retirement, she was an active member of the North Mecklenburg Women’s Club and the Lake Norman Golden Girls club, of which she was proud to serve a year as president. She spent time working alongside Rick in their Mooresville public relations firm, Carrick PR, and having fun with her grandchildren and other family members. One of her favorite traditions was an annual week at Myrtle Beach with her lifelong high school friends from Goldsboro.
She is survived by sons Sidney Todd (Jeannie) and Robert Scott (Kerri), as well as seven grandchildren, Carrick, Embree, Avery, Anna, Reeves, Sawyer, and Brice, along with sister Quita (Frank), brother Tom (Sandy), and dearly loved nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Rick, sister Janice, and her parents.
There will be a private, family grave-side service in Crumpler, NC.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the North Mecklenburg Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1782, Huntersville, NC 28070 or the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, https://ALZ.org.
James Funeral Home is assisting the family, online condolences may be made at https://www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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