Sara S. Counts

With profound love, we celebrate the life and legacy of Sara Papalia Counts, a woman whose quiet elegance, steadfast devotion, and radiant presence shaped five generations of family and left an imprint of grace on everyone privileged to know her. Born on March 22, 1933, in McMinnville, Tennessee, to Joe and Nola Seagle, Sara grew up in a large, lively southern family alongside her siblings—Ronald, Evelyn, Kenneth, Awanda, Betty Jo, and Bobbie —each one part of the tapestry that defined her early life.

In 1947, at the age of fourteen, Sara moved with her family from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Jacksonville, Florida, the city that would become her lifelong home. She graduated from Landon High School, where she was a proud member of the Lionettes and began forming the friendships, values, and dreams that would accompany her throughout her journey.

Sara built a beautiful life anchored in deep love, devotion, and family. She was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother—roles she cherished with unmatched dedication. She married twice in her lifetime, each marriage a testament to her capacity to love fully and faithfully. She was preceded in death by her husbands Louis Papalia (1999) and Fred Counts (2016), both of whom she loved dearly and cared for with unwavering loyalty.

She is survived by her children Sharon Borneman (Elena and Andrew) and Kevin Papalia (Tony and Kayla); her stepsons George and Doug Counts; her beloved sister Awanda Dunn (Ken); and an expansive family that includes 4 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.

Sara passed away suddenly on December 2, 2025, at the age of 92—elegant and spirited to her very last day. She lived a life full of curiosity, movement, and joy: she loved to travel, dance, play tennis, listen to music, and try anything at least once. Her adventures took her around the world, from Acapulco to London, Paris, and Austria. She carried a courageous traveler’s heart, open to the world and all it had to offer.

A woman of extraordinary warmth and quiet strength, Sara had a soft-spoken voice complemented by a single look that could restore order, inspire respect, or encourage reflection. She was honest, sentimental, and deeply attentive, keeping every card ever gifted to her and journaling the experiences that marked her life. She safeguarded the stories of her lineage, becoming the family historian, passionately researching their ancestry back to the 1700s. Through her, generations were connected to their roots.

She was a natural caretaker—of people, of memories, and even of animals. Injured squirrels, wandering pets, and two cherished birds, Charlie and Peaches, all found refuge in her gentle hands. Her home was a sanctuary for the tender things of the world.

In her professional life, Sara worked more than twenty years for William Queen, Insurance Agent for Travellers Insurance Company, where she led with reliability, diligence, and grace. In the mid-1970s, she chose to shift to part-time work so she could spend more time doing what she loved most—being with her family.

A masterful southern cook, Sara infused every meal with love and legacy. Whether sharing recipes or guiding her daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters by phone, she ensured her culinary traditions could travel across time and geography. In every kitchen she touched—even indirectly—her presence endures.

As a grandmother and great-grandmother, Sara had an intuitive way of tending to whatever needed care—encouragement, confidence, laughter, or simple presence. She made her loved ones feel seen, safe, and cherished. She held her family together with an effortless enchantment, an elegance that made people gravitate toward her, and a devotion that never wavered.

Sara took immeasurable pride in her lineage. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom carried a unique piece of her heart. Her granddaughter Elena gave her twin great-granddaughters Victoria and Elizabeth, unknowingly restoring the name of Sara’s own grandmother—Victoria Elizabeth. Elena also blessed her with a great-grandson Lourde Maximus and a great-granddaughter Aurora. Her grandson Andrew gave her two great-granddaughters, Iris and Luna. Through her granddaughter Kayla, she embraced three great-grandsons—Devon, Sean, and Braylen—and a great-granddaughter, Jayla. She was proud of every child who came through her lineage, every new life that reminded her that love, when nurtured well, multiplies.

Sara was an Aries—a fact that explained her enduring spark, her bold heart, her independence, and her quiet but undeniable fire. She lived with intention and left behind a legacy not simply of memories, but of ways of being: elegance, devotion, curiosity, resilience, and love.

In celebrating her life, we honor a matriarch who held the story of her family with tenderness and precision, a woman whose beauty lived in her actions, her handwriting, her gentle humor, her strength, and her unwavering ability to love. She lived fully. She loved deeply. She leaves behind a legacy that will echo through generations.

May her memory be a blessing, a compass, and a source of enduring light for all who were fortunate enough to be loved by her.