Nancy Lillian (Spratt) Arnett

Nancy Lillian Spratt Arnett went peacefully home to God on Sunday, August 30, 2026. She was born on April 3, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to James Dean Spratt and Margaret Louise Pickett Spratt and was the middle of their three children.

Nancy attended Dykes High School, graduating in 1969, and then Vanderbilt University, where she majored in history and graduated cum laude. She attended the University of Georgia School of Law. After graduating from law school, Nancy joined Equifax, where she practiced law for 19 years before retiring to spend more time with her children and pursue a real estate license. She went on to work in real estate with both Jenny Pruitt and Harry Norman, retiring in 2020.

Nancy married James E. Arnett (Jim) on May 24, 1980 and they remained devoted to one another until her passing. She adored Jim and often told her daughter that she married Jim because he was the best person she knew. Two of her greatest joys were sitting beside him in the stands at Bobby Dodd Stadium, cheering on her adopted team, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and sitting beside him during Mass at The Cathedral of Christ the King holding his hand.

Nancy was an avid reader whose interests were wide-ranging. She had many friends, loved laughing, making other people laugh, tennis, water aerobics, shopping, puzzles and movies. She was a wonderful cook and her family happily ate almost everything she prepared with the notable exception of tomato aspic.

Nancy loved cats all her life, beginning with Kitta and Mr. Mittens in her girlhood, and continuing with her beloved Maine Coons: Rebecca, Lucy, Atticus and Johnny, who was especially dear to her and, as she would say, her heartsease.

Nancy taught Sunday school and served as an extraordinary minister at The Cathedral of Christ the King for many years. She also volunteered in the gift shop at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Above all, Nancy loved her family. She was exceedingly proud of her husband, her children, her parents, her siblings and her nieces and nephews. The education and spiritual development of their children were primary priorities for Nancy and Jim, things they both sacrificed for and participated in. She delighted in her grandchildren.

Nancy was kind and good. She was generous, a cheerful giver and some of her family’s happiest memories are of her at Christmas. She loved finding the perfect present for her nieces and nephews, especially if it was one that provided a laugh for the whole family. When someone was in need, she helped without stopping to ask if they were deserving and without ever making a fuss about it.

Nancy loved well and was well loved. Her warmth, humor, generosity, faith, and remarkable capacity to care for others will be remembered by all who knew her. She will be deeply missed and those who loved her will carry her spirit in their hearts forever.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 46 years, James Edward Arnett, her daughter Elizabeth Arnett Buckley, her son James Edward Arnett, Jr., her son-in-law Robert Edward Buckley, her daughter-in-law Margaret Dickey Arnett and her five grandchildren: Edward Alexander Buckley, George William Buckley, Lindsay Eliana Arnett, James Edward Arnett, III and Matthew Dickey Arnett as well as her siblings Susan Spratt Thomas and her husband John Beasley Thomas, III and their children and grandchildren and James Dean Spratt, Jr. and his wife Susan Turk Spratt and their children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her mother-in-law, Lorraine Spurgeon Arnett and her father-in-law John Norman Arnett.

A Celebration of Life will be held on September 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at The Cathedral of Christ the King, with a reception following immediately thereafter in Kenny Hall. Interment will take place at Arlington Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Bloom (www.allbloom.org) or Whittle Hooves (www.whittlehooves.com).

Arrangements are entrusted to Sandy Springs Chapel, Sandy Springs, GA.