Sarah Anderson

Sarah Jean Anderson passed away peacefully on May 8th, 2020 at her home in Burlington, North Carolina, surrounded by her children. She was a loving mother of five, a loyal sister to four, a grandmother, a tireless community supporter and volunteer, an advocate for those in need, an avid reader, a gardener, a caregiver, a teacher, and a friend to many.

Jean was born to Geraldine Dodrill Anderson and Allen Resseger Anderson on July 22nd, 1949 in Webster Springs, West Virginia where she and her four sisters were raised: Susan (Paul) Bennett, her twin sister Alice (Charles) Vandegrift, Patricia (Charles) Pilger, and Elizabeth (Michael) Solak. Though Jean spent most of her adult life in North Carolina, her strong connection to her four sisters and the mountains of West Virginia remained foundational.

After graduating from West Virginia University in 1972 with a degree in Physical Therapy, Jean relocated to Waynesville, North Carolina where she raised five children of her own: Douglas Nabors, Adam Nabors, Tyler Nabors, Ben Nabors and Elise Nabors.

Jean’s commitment to her field led to a Master’s Degree at Western Carolina University in 1993 and a long and dedicated career in physical therapy. Upon her retirement, Jean was the Director of Rehabilitation at Edgewood Place in Burlington, where she oversaw a team of caregivers who looked to her for leadership, guidance, counsel, and friendship.

Her commitment to her community was evident in both her professional and her volunteer work. She served proudly on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County since 1995 and was actively involved in her church as an adult Sunday school teacher in The Upper Room at Front Street United Methodist Church. Jean spent her retirement years teaching Tai Chi at the Kernodle Senior Center, teaching Parkinson’s exercise classes at Alamance Regional Medical Center, registering voters through You Can Vote, facilitating BookWomen, serving on the Herb Festival’s planning committee, and volunteering with Alamance Arts.

Jean’s greatest contribution was that to her family. Though her children live throughout the country, pursuing careers and passions that she helped nurture in each of them, their connections as siblings will remain steadfast, in times of loss and in times of joy. She will be remembered by each of them individually, through their own personal relationship with their mom, and collectively as a fierce, patient, and caring parent who modeled the very definition of unconditional love.

A celebration of Jean’s life and values will be held in Burlington, North Carolina and Webster Springs, West Virginia at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County in her memory (https://wrcac.org/donate/, 336-227-6900).

The family requests NO FLOWERS PLEASE.