Dunbar Funeral Home
Sarah Northington Terrill, 86, succumbed on January 20, 2024 after a long illness. She is survived by her husband, Thomas E. Terrill, her daughter Andrea Bennett Terrill and her son Mitchell Northington Terrill, M.D., and her sister Nancy Northington Davis, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Dr. James Montgomery Northington, M.D. and Mrs. Betty Clark Northington, and her sister Betty Page Northington.
Sarah was born in Charlotte and had many happy memories of living on Malvern Road, then populated with many children. Maralee Macaleer Schmidt was a particular friend who remains close to Sarah to this day. Maralee especially liked to join the Northingtons near the end of the dinner hour and get one of the hot biscuits Mrs. Louise Boyd had made. Louise was a blessed pillar of the Northington home to whom Sarah was especially close, whose death was the occasion of deep mourning.
Sarah brought a wonderful tradition from her Charlotte home: a Christmas Day afternoon eggnog party for family and friends. The crowd that gathered around the "serious" eggnog had to be encouraged to move to another room to get better acquainted with one another. They might, for instance, talk with our dear neighbor, Judy Litman, who was sitting in front of the living room fire. She was one of the first women admitted to the Bar in South Carolina. For us, she was our resident grandmother.
Sarah was a top honors student throughout her years in nearby public schools and then at Duke and in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of South Carolina. After graduating from Myers Park High School as salutatorian of her class, she went to Duke University where she earned a Phi Beta Kappa membership her junior year. She majored in art and art history. Sarah actually had a third major, history. She was determined to get the most out of her academic experience at Duke so she took eighteen course hours each semester. She earned a master's degree in art history from Carolina.
Sarah met Tom in Princeton, New Jersey, where she worked for a year at Princeton University Art Museum and he was in Princeton Theological Seminary. She taught third grade at a private school outside Princeton before she began teaching art in Wisconsin after their marriage in Charlotte in 1961. She first taught in one-room schools and an elementary school, then students from kindergarten through high school. She managed to find time for graduate courses in Madison. The chair of UW art education program observed her work and promptly waived the practice teaching requirement for certification. She had a life-time teaching certificate from Wisconsin.
The Terrills moved to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1966 where they eventually joined Trinity Episcopal Church (now Trinity Episcopal Cathedral). Sarah taught art at Heathwood Hall for several years in classes that included some art history. They became involved in voluntary activities in the church and in the public schools. At one time, they served as co-presidents of the A.C. Moore Elementary School parents-teachers association. Sarah took the lead in that activity, like she did when the Terrills agreed to chair a tutorial program for W. A. Perry Middle School. During the ten years, we enjoyed working at Perry with some delightful volunteers from Trinity, just as we enjoyed a number of students, teachers, and school officials. Sarah also used her art skills and teaching experience in a local program for the severely disadvantaged. Her community activities included active membership in the Jamestowne Society.
In addition to being an accomplished artist and excellent teacher, Sarah was a gifted writer and a fine editor. She was not able to continue writing about her family and memorable childhood memories.
Sarah was very intelligent. She was kind, compassionate. Most of all, she was loving. Her family felt and knew her love. Her capacity for love left us speechless at times. Like her love, her art surrounds us. We came first.
Services for Sarah will take place at Trinity Cathedral on Friday, February 16th at two p.m. A reception following the service will take place at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Harvest Hope, Nature Conservancy or to the charity of your choosing.
Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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