Frances Sanger

Frances "Gabby" Sanger was born on July 31, 1942, in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to Raymond Floyd McCarter and Emma May (Douthit) McCarter. She passed away peacefully on January 21, 2026, in Norman, Oklahoma.

On January 29, 1965, she married Charles Dunning Sanger, the love of her life. Together they shared 55 years of marriage filled with devotion, laughter, and love until his passing on March 12, 2020. She loved him as much as anybody has ever loved another person. This love for him lived on through the pieces of him that she saw in all her kids and grandchildren, who she loved with all her heart the same way she loved him.

Gabby lived her life grounded in faith. Her trust in God shaped how she loved others, how she served, and how she faced both joy and hardship. She found meaning in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship, and she quietly taught those around her the power of faith, endurance, generosity, and humor through the way she lived each day.

She had a vibrant personality and a wide range of interests. Music was always part of her life, whether she was listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Billy Joel, jazz, or classical selections, especially soft, jazzy favorites she enjoyed while traveling. She loved playing bridge, volunteering, cooking, reading, shopping, and talking to everyone she met, but nothing brought her more joy than sharing those moments with family. She took pride in teaching her grandchildren how to play cards, how to drive, and how to make some of her favorite foods, including her well-known oyster crackers, her famous baked beans, chicken soup and her amazing Thanksgiving dressing.

Gabby had a gift for hospitality. Her home, whether in Norman or Silver Lake Michigan, was her happy place where everyone was welcomed like family and everyone was well-fed. No one ever left her table hungry or her presence without feeling cared for. She loved hosting friends, enjoying fellowship, telling stories, and spending time with her Bible studies and bridge groups. She delighted in simple pleasures like "Gabby cheese," cooking breakfast, playing solitaire on her iPad, and making special trips with her grandchildren to Cherry Point to buy strudel.

Above all, Gabby treasured her family. She loved watching her grandchildren grow, cheering them on in their accomplishments, laughing with them, and spoiling them whenever possible. She often joked about having 11 "favorite" grandchildren, each of whom knew they were deeply loved.

Gabby was a member of Assistance League of Norman and P.E.O., where she enjoyed serving alongside friends and living out her calling to help others.

She is survived by her children, Carter Sanger and his spouse Rhonda of Katy, Texas, Amy Horn and her spouse Jeff of Moore, Oklahoma, and Della Kramedjian and her spouse Chris of Lubbock, Texas; her sister, Joyce Bridges of McAlester, Oklahoma; and her 11 grandchildren, Dunning Sanger, Mercer Sanger, Fenton Sanger, Ellie Sanger, Hobie Horn, Hayden Horn, Hadley Horn, Cole Kramedjian, Julia Kramedjian, Mary Abbott Kramedjian, and Bailey Kramedjian, along with many extended family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband, Charles Dunning Sanger, and her brother-in-laws, Lee Sanger and Delta Walker Bridges.

Services will be held on Friday, January 30, at Wildwood Community Church in Norman. Arrangements are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman.