Sara "Sally" (Oswald) Stoddard

Mrs. Sara “Sally” Oswald Stoddard, of Evergreen, passed away peacefully at her residence on Thursday, March 25 ,2021. She was 74.

Sara Elizabeth Oswald Stoddard was born the only child to Fred and Willie Gray Oswald on March 3, 1947, in Montgomery, Alabama. Sally grew up and lived her final years in Evergreen, Alabama, in her childhood home. Sally was a character from the get go. When she was a little girl, she would listen to Gunsmoke on the radio. She played cards with her imaginary friend and when she suspected her friend of cheating, she would kick the table over. Sally went to Huntington College, and received a BA in History and English. She went to Auburn University and received a Master’s Degree in History.

Sally met the man that would become her husband while student-teaching Western Civilization at Auburn, and their first date was a group get-together where they ate catfish. She said she knew Lowell Stoddard was special when she showed up at her dorm the next day bearing a ham sandwich. He had her at the ham sandwich. While living in Memphis she had two kids, Gray and Fred. She worked at a local newspaper, editing articles. She also drew for a magazine. After Memphis, she and Lowell moved to California where they had two more kids, Ben and Pat. In California, she owned an entertainment company, Live On Broadway, which catered to birthday parties for all ages. She lived there for 15 years. She and the family moved to Atlanta for her husband’s job transfer, where she obtained a law degree. After Atlanta, they returned to her childhood home here in Evergreen, to raise her family and practice law. She was a fan of traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people. Costume design and playing the organ were just a couple of her varied talents. She was an avid reader, writer, and historian. She loved all animals. Most importantly, her relationship with Jesus Christ was at the core of her being. But out of all of Sally’s accomplishments and talents and hobbies, her most cherished role was that of a mother. Gray, Fred, Ben, and Pat were blessed to have her. From sewing Halloween costumes to watching baseball games past bedtime, she was a mother and a friend. Will and Sally celebrated fifty years of marriage this past December. They were blessed to have many wonderful memories together. They made a rich life and created a family. He won her heart with a simple ham sandwich and on her last day with us, he went back to the kitchen, got out the bread, the ham, and made one last sandwich for his best friend.

Funeral services will be held 2 pm., Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Magnolia Cemetery. Rev. Mark Whittington will officiate. Cope-Keahey Funeral Home is entrusted with these arrangements.

Survivors include, her loving husband of 50 years, William Lowell Stoddard of Evergreen, daughter, Elizabeth Gray Stoddard of Newan, Ga. sons, Frederick Stoddard of Evergreen, Benjamin (Fiance Quinn White) Stoddard of Vestavia Hills, and Patrick Stoddard and wife Katie of Hoover.

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