Dr. Sara Nan Garrett Dacus, 83, passed away on Monday, April 17, 2017 at Covenant Hospice in Pensacola, FL.

She was a native of Montgomery County, MS until she moved recently to Pensacola with her husband Fred.
She was born on Oct 7, 1933 in Poplar Creek to John and Bettie Evans Garrett.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Barthal, Emit, Emil, Elmer, Genie, William and Lewis; sisters, Bessie Henderson, Ruby McKenzie, Kristin (Jeanette) Zimmerle and Mildred Harrell; and one daughter, Cindy Bontemps.

She is survived by her husband, Fred Dacus; her children, Barbara Hoffman (Jack), John Dacus (Monica) and Patricia Mills (Ian); a son-in-law, Fred Bontemps; a sister, Mary Lee Hunt; grandchildren, Jay Hoffman, Michael Hoffman, Caroline Allen, Paul Mills, Brian Mills and Jeremy Bontemps; great-grandchildren, Garrett, Zoe, JD, Kate, Eva, Eli and Ian.

Sara started her married life with Fred on Jan 15, 1949 and together they built Dacus Furniture Store. After having four children, she decided to pursue a college education. Education was her passion and in 1987 she received her Doctorate in Education from Mississippi State University. She was a teacher in both the Montgomery County and Carroll County school systems for many years.

Visitation will be at 9:00am on Saturday, April 22, 2017 in the Kilmichael Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. A Memorial service will follow at 10:00am. Her grandson, Rev. Michael Hoffman will officiate. Burial will be in Milligan Springs Baptist Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) or Down Syndrone Foundation (www.up21foundation.org)
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Sara requested this be read at her funeral. Her only granddaughter, Caroline, read this:
The Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars...the house... the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile... remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash...would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?