Sara Mauldin

Sara Echols Mauldin, 90, of Chattanooga, passed away Friday, June 26, 2015, at her home. She was the daughter of the late Reuben and Leona Echols and was preceded in death by her sister, Vera Myrtle Ellington, and brother, F. M. "Buddy" Echols. She is survived by her loving daughter, Georgianna (Bob) Yurjevic, of Chattanooga;, loving son, Dr. Michael Mauldin, of Cleveland, Ohio; brother, Vernon "Moe" Echols, of Chattanooga; granddaughters, Andrea (John) Veal, of Chattanooga, Terri Ramey, of Venice, Fla.; great-grandchildren, Brad (Kara) Brackett, of Birmingham, Ala., Chad Brackett, of Chattanooga, Lauren (Dexter) Austin, of Tampa, Fla., and great-great-grandchildren, Mason and Dexter. Sara was an amazing human being. She was an astute business woman, owning and operating two restaurants and a bookkeeping service during her 21 years in Panama City, Fla. She made many friends, both professionally and personally. She worked so hard from the age of 13 as a carhop on Broad Street to becoming a CPA all on her own, of which she was very proud. Upon her return to her hometown of Chattanooga in 1976 she was a CPA for DeCosimo Company and retired from Petty and Landis Inc. in 1988. She was also quite the athlete. She bowled on several teams that won city, regional and state championships in Tennessee and Florida. She played Chattanooga Church League fastpitch softball on a team that won several city and state championships, and played golf after retirement until macular degeneration stole 90 percent of her sight. She worked out at the Sports Barn for many years, and then had a home gym, upon which she worked out onuntil the day she passed. Her favorite time was the weekend, either engrossed in TV golf tournaments or college or pro football. Her favorite teams were Auburn and the Steelers, and she had wonderful times betting on football with her beloved son-in-law. She loved her family fiercely, and really loved babies and dogs. She loved her little condo and took great pride in maintaining her independence in it until the day she left us. She truly loved sitting on her front porch in good weather listening to her progressive jazz CDs and drinking Merlot. She had such an outgoing personality and an unstoppable vibrancy. She was generous to a fault, and loved feeding and giving to family and friends over all the years. She had a personal relationship with God and Jesus, and prayed every morning and night. She will be desperately missed, especially by her daughter. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m., Monday, June 29, 2015, in the East Brainerd Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home with Dr. Michael Mauldin officiating. Entombment will follow in Hamilton Memorial Gardens in Hixson, Tenn. The family will receive friends from 36 p.m. today and from 12 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pet Placement Center at www.petplacementcenter.com. Arrangements by Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, East Brainerd Chapel, 8214 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37421.