Sandra Rees Tate

1948 - 2025

Sandra Rees Tate

September 7, 1948 - September 27, 2025

Monroe, Georgia - Sandra Rees Tate, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2025, at her daughter Susan's home in Monroe, Georgia. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. in the chapel of Snow's Memorial Chapel, 1419 Bass Road, Macon, GA. The family will greet friends from 11:30 a.m. to service time at the funeral home. Burial will be private.

Born on September 7, 1948, she was the eldest daughter of the late Helen Melton Rees and Willard Andrew Rees. Sandra was raised in Preston, Georgia, where she was baptized at First Baptist Church and graduated from Webster County High School in 1966. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Georgia State University in 1970.

After a busy decade of mothering her three young children, Andy, Susan, and Ben, Sandra joined the faculty of Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia, as an English teacher in 1980. Over her 34-year career at Mount de Sales, Sandra taught English to thousands of students and developed and implemented a program that encouraged students to write in all of their courses – "across the curriculum." In addition to teaching English, Sandra served as yearbook adviser and coach of the debate team, teaching a generation of students to think logically and marshal evidence in support of their arguments. Beloved by her students, Sandra was selected three times by STAR students as their STAR teacher: in 1990, 1993, and 2001. Finally, she worked as assistant librarian for several years before she retired in 2014. In honor of Sandra's legacy, Mount de Sales established the Tate Award, which is awarded monthly to a middle-school student who embodies the character traits possessed by Sandra, including positive contributions to campus life, a diligent approach to academics, and congeniality toward all.

Aside from her professional life, Sandra was an avid reader and philosopher. She passionately contemplated the big questions in life, writing down her thoughts, and discussing and debating them with her family. Her cozy home in Macon was filled with books, and she always kept one ready to recommend or lend (with her penciled-in notes in the margins for no extra charge). In addition to her Macon and, in recent years, Greenville, South Carolina, homes, Sandra loved welcoming family and friends to her cottage in Highlands, North Carolina, which she and her dear late husband, Julian, always called their "happy place." Sandra embodied the spirit of unconditional love and understanding. She maintained a deep, yet quiet faith that is best expressed in Micah 6:8: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

In addition to her parents, Sandra was preceded in death by her husband, Julian Tate, and her sweet sister, Peggy Kennedy. She is survived by her son, Dr. Andy Wills (Melanie) of Greenville, South Carolina, daughter, Susan Wills Boyer (Russell) of Monroe, Georgia, and son, Ben Wills (Stephanie) of Villanova, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Caroline, Michael and Natalie Wills (Andy and Melanie), Emma and Jack Boyer (Susan and Russell), and Sarah and Jason Wills (Ben and Stephanie), as well as her sister Kathy Culpepper (Jim) of Atlanta and brother-in-law Tony Kennedy of Preston, Georgia. Sandra also leaves behind many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins, Julian's children and grandchildren, and many friends, fellow teachers, and students who knew and loved her through the years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Mount de Sales Academy, 851 Orange Street, Macon, Georgia, 31201, or to George Walton Academy, 1 Bulldog Drive, Monroe, Georgia, 30655.

Visit www.snowsmacon.com to express condolence.

Snow's Memorial Chapel, Bass Road has charge of the arrangements.