Sarah Elizabeth Blankenship Dye

Denison – Sarah Elizabeth Blankenship Dye passed from this life to the arms of her Savior Saturday, September 8, 2012 in Denison. Sarah was born May 6, 1935, the fourth child of George Warren and Emma Wiest Blankenship. She grew up in the Hyde Park area of Denison, graduated from Denison High School and earned her Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She taught for many years in the Denison Independent School District, first as a kindergarten teacher at Central Annex, and then as computer literacy teacher at B McDaniel, retiring in 1994. Many who attended Denison school remember her as a pioneer of local educational technology with her stories and reading lessons on television.
 Sarah is survived by her three sons, Robert J. Dye of Denison, Ben Dye and Leigh of Sherman and Dr. Bill Dye and Amy of Monroe, Louisiana. She delighted in her ten grandchildren, Jennifer of McKinney and Lindsey of Denison; Bentley (Brandi), Emily, Bradley and Bailey of Sherman; Billy (Catherine), Matthew and Micah of Monroe, and Andrew (Hallie) of Baton Rouge. She is also survived by her brothers and sisters: George W. (Billie) Blankenship of Austin, Bill (Virginia) Blankenship of Sherman, Marilyn Hogenson of Pottsboro, Jerry (Judy) Blankenship of Lake Whitney, and Kathy Dophied of Pottsboro, as well as a multitude of devoted nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
 Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at Calvary Baptist Church in Denison with Dr. Bill Dye and Reverend Danny Broughton officiating. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Burial will follow at Georgetown Cemetery. The family will receive visitors Monday evening at 6 p.m. at Johnson-Moore Funeral Home
 A staunch advocate of all children, Sarah was passionate about helping her special needs granddaughter, Lindsey. She spent lots of time with her Lindsey, content to watch the same musicals over and over, listen to the same songs a thousand times, and flip through magazines searching for daddy-pictures as long as Lindsey wanted her to. She enjoyed making Lindsey’s lunch each day for school, and took pride in being the one who could get Lindsey to swallow her medicine when nobody else could.
 Sarah was an ardent student of Grayson County History. She loved visiting with Judge R.C. Vaughan and other knowledgeable enthusiasts, researching historical events, and cataloguing old cemeteries. She was primarily responsible for the donation of several buildings to Frontier Village at Loy Lake, where for years she was an active supporter in preserving the heritage of this area. She researched her own family background, compiling information on Blankenships and Bradleys, and wrote several pieces of historical fiction centering around her ancestors. She particularly enjoyed sitting on the porch of the Sallie B, looking over land that has belonged to her family since 1836.
 In addition, Sarah rescued numerous dogs over the years, some from the shelter and some who just appeared on her doorstep, and she cared for them as if they were her children, taking them for rides and visits to the drive-by window at McDonald’s.
 Sarah was a strong, capable woman with a lively wit and boundlesss curiosity. She loved her family and friends unconditionally, and was never too busy or tired to offer a listening ear, a helping hand, a comforting word when she was needed. A loving, indulgent grandmother, she could make any celebration joyful, never forgetting children’s birthdays. While she was frugal in providing for herself, Sarah loved giving to her grandchildren. She was a wonderful mother, welcoming her sons’ friends into her home–in their youth, at all hours of the day and night. She was the hub of her family, the woman everyone turned to for support and guidance, and she will be sorely missed, even as they rejoice that she has no more pain. While her severe rheumatoid arthritis curtailed many activities, Sarah chose not to complain or take to her bed, but continued to maintain her home and her independence, turning her efforts to becoming a prayer warrior for her family and friends, devoting hours to her ministry.
 Donations in Sarah’s memory may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 300 W. Acheson St., Denison, TX 75020.