Sandra Edwards Sincerbox

Sandra Edwards Sincerbox, born April 19, 1946, passed away on March 11, 2026, after a brave fight with Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Sandy (known by her niece, Grace Edwards, and her nephew, Matt Edwards, as "Aunt Sassy") was an outstanding Advanced Placement English teacher at Fulton and Bearden High Schools who worked diligently to teach her students how to write well. She was always an outstanding student and was president of her East High School's Honor Society. At the University of Tennessee, she was a member of Phi Mu Sorority. Sandy was noted for her beautiful smile and for her empathy and encouragement of so many others. In 1987, Sandy suffered severe head trauma in a head-on car collision which ended her teaching career. After her recovery, she worked as the office manager for the optometrist, Dr. Stephen Smith.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lauton and Estelle Edwards. She is survived by her husband of fifty-five years, David Sincerbox; her brother, Mike Edwards (Susan); nieces and nephews Matt Edwards (Ellen) and daughter Rosemary, Grace Edwards, Heather Kirby, MaryGrace Smith (Jonathan) and their children Madeline, Emma, Rosalyn and Isaiah, and Rusty Kirby (Misty) and daughters Eloise and Quinn.

Sandy was a faithful Christian with two best friends from high school days, Carol Stalcup and Barbara Johnson, who met monthly for lunch with Bible Study and prayer. Carol got Sandy involved in Bible Study Fellowship until Sandy's Parkinson's prevented her from continuing in BSF. Sandy was a dedicated prayer warrior, inheriting that gift from her departed grandmother. With this and her other gifts, Sandy was a partner in the ministry of her husband, the Reverend Deacon David Sincerbox, at Apostles Anglican Church. Whenever Sandy took on a task, she took it on with thoroughness and dedication. The story is told that when she was a child making daisy chains in her yard in East Knoxville, she would not quit that task until she had a daisy chain that went all the way around her house, enlisting the help of her brother and friends for days until the task was completed. Sandy took on the task of church greeter at Apostles with the same dedication, identifying visitors immediately, giving them her radiant smile, and making them feel welcome. She cooked for many people who were sick or grieving and wrote countless cards of encouragement to them as well as to her friends. David especially prizes the beautiful messages she wrote to him for special occasions throughout their marriage. The family wishes to thank all the dedicated staff of the Nursing Center at Little Creek who took such loving care of Sandy for the past two and a half years, and Amedisys Hospice for the past four months.

Receiving of friends will be at Apostles Anglican Church on Friday, March 20, from 12:00 to 1:30, followed by an Anglican graveside service at Lynnhurst Cemetery at 3:00 p.m. in accordance with her wishes. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Apostles Anglican Church, Reflections Ministries, The Fellowship of Ailbe, or the Christian Appalachian Fund.