Sandra Long Benson

Sandra was born on July 25, 1943 at Crawford Long Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia to Adren Louis (Colonel) Long and Annie Mae Davis Long. In 1953, she moved to Macon, Georgia where she attended Union Elementary School and A L Miller High School, graduating in 1961. Sandra then went to work as a secretary at First National Bank in Macon, Georgia.

In 1964, she met the “love of her life”, Captain J D (Jay) Benson, who was assigned as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. They were married on November 27, 1965 at West Highland Baptist Church where Sandra was a charter member.

Upon Jay’s next assignment as Provost Marshal for US Army Support Thailand located in Bangkok, Thailand, Sandra was able to join him for his two year tour. She worked as an Administrative Assistant to the bridge building company of Dillingham, Zachery and Kaiser. Sandra and Jay were able to travel extensively during his assignment and fell in love with the oriental people, their culture and their handicrafts.

In 1969, Sandra returned to the First National Bank while Jay attended the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Upon Jay’s graduation from law school and his acceptance as an Associate at Hansell, Post, Brandon and Dorsey in Atlanta, Georgia, she and Jay moved to Conyers, Georgia and started a family. Sandra had two boys, J D Benson, Jr. and Jeffrey Adren Benson, both being born at Emory Hospital in Atlanta.

In 1975, Sandra, Jay and the boys moved to Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, in the Indian Hills Subdivision, where they remained for 21 years. While in Marietta, Sandra and her family were members of Eastside Baptist Church. She loved participating in the Indian Hills Garden Club where she won several awards for flower arrangement decoration.

After both boys were in college, Sandra decided to go back to work being employed as an Assistant Vice President with NationsBank Capital Markets.

Upon Jay’s retirement in 1996, Sandra and Jay moved to St Simons Island, Georgia.

Besides her parents, Sandra was predeceased by her sister, Suzon Long Strong.

Sandra is survived by her husband and best friend, J D (Jay) Benson; two children, J D Benson, Jr (Adelle) and Jeffrey Benson (Faye); one grandson, Jack Warren Benson (the “apple of her eye”) and one step-great grandson, Reid Shumpert.

Sandra’s family and faith were always the most important things in her life. At home, it was all about family. She devoted her life to being a loving and supportive wife and to raising two wonderful young men of whom she was very proud. She was great at heaping love on all the family. Her home was always open to family and friends and she treated everyone with the utmost kindness. She was always concerned about anyone’s feelings and wanted to make everyone she feel comfortable. She was loved by everyone who knew her. She never met a stranger.

Sandra always had a strong religious faith, being a life-long Baptist. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of St Simons Island and the Love, Joy and Laughter Sunday School Class. She was very active in the church, co-Chairing the Flower Committee for many years.

She always enjoyed dancing, crafts, gardening and flower arranging. She and Jay’s passion for traveling took them to over 40 countries. The traveling was on land and sea, cruising the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean many times. Sandra enjoyed cruising Europe the most as it was a wonderful way to see so many places and live in luxury.

She was a beautiful person both in her heart and in her appearance. During her and Jay’s traveling, she was told many times about how beautiful she was by the people of the country they were visiting. The beauty in her heart spoke quiet volumes to those she met.

When she and Jay were visiting Beijing, China, they took a tour of the section of the Great Wall frequented by the Chinese. She had only walked along the wall about a hundred yards being noticeably admired by the Chinese people. After a while, one of the Chinese young men got up the courage to ask if she would let him have his picture made with her. Sandra graciously consented and the flood gates opened. For the rest of the tour’s allotted time, many Chinese men and women formed a line wanting their picture taken with her.

Sandra, always the loving wife, mother and grandmother, leaves behind many extended family members and cherished friends. She will be deeply missed. Memory of her will not fade in time but will only grow in remembering the great and wonderful person she was.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Baptist Church on St Simons Island on July 10, 2026, at 2:00 pm. Because of the summer heat, please dress casually!

Sandra, as one of her last wishes, wanted to make sure a big thank you is given to all of the personnel, including the volunteers, of Hospice of the Golden Isles for the wonderful care she received during Hospice home care for four months followed by the stay at the Hospice of the Golden Isles campus.

“Grieve not… nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me…as though I were beside you. ’Twas Heaven on earth here with all of you.”