Sara Fay Carder

Sara Fay Hilderbrand Carder was born on February 7, 1932 to E.O. and Clarice Hilderbrand of Atlanta, Georgia. She is the oldest of five siblings (Clarice, William, Raymond and E.O Jr.) and a half-sister to three (Marjorie, Herbert and Denby). She has 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Sara grew up in Atlanta and married Albert B. Carder, Sr. on November 3, 1950. A wife for 60 years, she and Albert had 5 children Albert (Karen), Glenn (Susie), Fred, Lesley (Scott), and Elise. In the early years of raising her family, Sara was a busy mom, serving as a Cub Scout leader and a softball coach. Nevertheless, she kept her children in line and was often strict and critical when they did not meet her expectations. There are advantages and disadvantages to the position you are born into a family. Older siblings have the disadvantage of inexperienced parents, so often are the focus of much learning. Younger siblings benefit from more relaxed parents, thus life can be more adventuresome. Whichever you happen to be, you learn in the family what and how you want to be. However, for those who knew Sara, she gave the phrase walk tall and carry a big stick its true meaning! In 1976, Sara, Albert and Elise were one of 381 people who traveled to Newcastle, England for the first summer exchange program for Friendship Force, an organization founded by President Jimmy Carter. Sara and Albert also made trips to Scotland, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, and they hosted individuals and families from Northumberland, England and Brussels, Belgium. In 1981, Sara and Albert moved to North Georgia to continue their careers with Flav-O-Rich Dairies in Rossville, Georgia. She was a sales representative and developed the adopt-a-school program in the tri-county area. That same year Sara and her family became active members in the Children’s International Summer Villages, an organization dedicated to peace through understanding. Sara and her family hosted interchange visitors from Stockholm, Sweden and Strasbourg, France. She was an interchange leader to Copenhagen, Denmark, and she served as a board member and the interchange selection chair. Eighteen years later, Sara and Albert were called to serve the Lord as the food coordinators for the YMCA Camp Ocoee. Along with additional staff, they made lifelong memories as they planned and prepared food faithfully for 7 years. They continued to serve through preparing food when they joined the Mission Ridge Baptist Church in Rossville, Georgia, until February 2010 when Albert was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer. Sara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in June 2012. On Elise’s birthday in 2014, Sara was unable to remember Elise’s name. She moved to Martin Boyd Christian Home the following August. As a resident, she enjoyed bingo, music and social events. Sara loved to make funny faces and joke with the staff. She said funny things. “You must be family because you look like me” When she couldn’t remember someone’s name, she would say “Let’s play a game, I am Sara and you are …?” Once she looked at a picture and asked who the gentleman was. When she was told that it was her husband and she had five children, she responded, “No wonder my back hurts”. Sara loved entertaining, decorating for special occasions, and cooking for large groups. She was a member of the Mountain View Women’s Community League and enjoyed hosting club meetings in her home. Among Sara’s greatest joys were gathering wild flowers on the side of the road and watching sunsets over Lookout Mountain.

Sara Fay Carder

February 7, 1932 - August 20, 2017