Sarah “Sadie” Louise Garner Bondurant
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Sarah “Sadie” Louise Garner Bondurant, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and dear friend peacefully departed this life in the early morning hours of July 31, 2024 in Austin, Texas. She was 90 years old.
Sarah was born to Lucille and Richard Garner on Feb. 10, 1934 in Lawrenceville, Ga. After graduating from high school in Rabun Gap, Ga., she attended technical school in Atlanta and worked in the dental field.
She met her future husband and the love of her life, Joseph Eugene Bondurant on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. They were married on Sept. 15, 1956 and Joe graduated from Georgia Tech with his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering a few months later.
In 1957, Sarah and Joe moved to Beaumont, Texas where Joe began a long and successful career at Gulf States Utilities Company (later known as Entergy) and Sarah continued to work in dentistry.
Over the next few years in Beaumont, Joe and Sarah welcomed their two daughters — Alyson Ann in 1961 and Tammy Jo in 1963.
In 1967, the family moved to Lake Charles, La. where Sarah was active in the Lake Charles community and involved with her daughters’ activities, including children’s theater and Camp Fire Girls. The Bondurant family moved back to Beaumont in 1976.
When Joe retired as executive vice president of Entergy in 1986, they started an antique furniture business called Sarah’s Selections. Sarah was the creative and entrepreneurial mind behind the small business, while Joe was the capable hands. Together, they would comb local auctions and antique halls for treasures to refurbish and sell. Sarah and Joe made many friends and memories on the antique show circuit before finally retiring in 2006. In 2019, they returned to Lake Charles for a few years before their last move to Austin in 2023.
Sarah was a lifelong Christian and longtime member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont, Texas. She served in numerous church groups and ran the annual Christmas Market for several years.
In addition to antiques, Sarah also collected countless friends across the country and globe. She was a skilled hostess who loved to welcome friends and family to her home. She loved traveling, shopping, Southern food and good stories. Sarah had a beautiful warm smile that lit up her face, especially in the presence of those she loved most.
Sarah is survived by daughters Alyson Bondurant Yokubaitis (Jon) of Lake Charles and Tammy Bondurant Gross (David) of Austin; eight grandchildren, Sarah Yokubaitis Madigan (Jason), Caroline Yokubaitis, Emily Yokubaitis Green (Patrick), Amy Yokubaitis Williams (Conner), Katie Yokubaitis Williams (Joshua), Alexander Joseph Yokubaitis, Courtney Ellen Rivers (Cameron) and Haley Gross; seven great grandchildren, Rosalie Fullington, Timothy Green, Clare Green, Joseph Williams, Kash Gross, Kennedy Gross, Kolby Hamilton and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her husband in May 2024.
Sarah was a special person to many people in her long life, and her memory will always be cherished by those who knew and loved her. While we mourn her loss, we take comfort in the knowledge that her loving heart, warm kindness and lively sense of humor will live on in our many memories of her.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 4 p.m. at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 1500 North Capital of Texas Highway in Austin, Texas. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.