Sarah Rhodes Lacher of
Athens, Georgia, died after a brief illness on July 6, 2013.
Mrs. Lacher was born on March 8, 1915, in Lake City, Florida,
the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jesse Ansley Griffin. After Dr. Griffin’s death in 1921, she and
her mother moved to Athens
where she attended the Lucy Cobb Institute.
She attended the University of Hawaii for a year and the University of Georgia
where she was the first piano student to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
in Music under the direction of Hugh Hodgson, her long time teacher and
mentor. After graduation, she attended
the University of Freiburg in Germany for a year doing
post-graduate work, and returned to the University of Georgia to complete her
MFA in music.
Mrs. Lacher was preceded in death by her husband, Hermann
Lacher from Hofgeismar, Germany, who was an International Exchange
Student at the University
of Georgia; her mother,
Ellen Griffin Rhodes McWhorter; her father, Jesse Ansley Griffin; her adoptive
father, Alexander Rhodes; and her step-father Robert Ligon McWhorter. She is survived by her children, Christopher
Lacher (Kathy) of Tallahassee, FL; Ellen Lacher Creagh (Gerard) of Athens, GA;
Lisa Lacher Bryan (Stephen) of Walpole, NH and New York, NY; Michael Lacher of
Washington, D.C.; grandchildren, Walter Lacher of Denver, CO; Adam Lacher of
Denver, CO; Laurel Lacher Milczarek (Michael) of Tucson, AZ; Ellen Bryan of New
York, NY; great-grandchildren Austin Lacher of Crawfordville, FL; and Daphne
and Mikaela Milczarek of Tucson, AZ.
Mrs. Lacher was a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church
where she directed the Junior Choir for many years and was a founding member of
the Emmanuel Episcopal Thrift Shop. She
was also a founding member of the Rabun Gap Nacoochee Guild, a member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution, and the German Club of Athens. She was well known for her sewing and
smocking work and took great pleasure in creating special things for her
friends. She taught piano and was the
pianist for the Lucy Lampkin School of Ballet. She worked constantly “behind
the scenes” to encourage and promote musical talent and awareness in the
community. A great animal lover, she adopted
and raised many pets over the years. In
addition to her personal friends and colleagues, Mrs. Lacher is remembered
fondly as a gracious and entertaining hostess by friends of her children, as on
many occasions she opened her heart and home to them. She and her husband enjoyed sponsoring University of Georgia International Exchange Students
and entertaining the Navy Supply Corp School International Officers, doing many
things to make their experience in this country a memorable one.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 424 E. 92nd St., New York,
NY 10128-6804.
On line
condolences may be made at www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com
