Nancy Rankin Tarbutton

Nancy Rankin Tarbutton of Sandersville, Georgia died peacefully on January 9, 2026, at the age of 90. A memorial service for Mrs. Tarbutton will be held on Tuesday, January 13 at 11:00 AM at the Sandersville Methodist Church in Sandersville, GA. To view the memorial service live stream, search for Sandersville Methodist Church on YouTube. The family will greet friends on Monday, January 12 from 5:00-7:00 PM in May and Smith Funeral Home in Sandersville.

Born September 20, 1935, in Atlanta, Georgia, she was the daughter of Anne McCoy Rankin and Vance Olney Rankin, Jr. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Benjamin James Tarbutton, Jr. Mrs. Tarbutton graduated from North Fulton High School in Atlanta and attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College for two years where she was a member of the Phi Mu sorority. She transferred to Emory University and graduated with an English degree in 1957. She was a member of the Atlanta Debutante Club and the Junior League of Atlanta.

After college, she taught English at Northside High School, attended Emory Law School at night for one year and worked in marketing at Fulton Federal Savings and Loan. She married Ben Tarbutton, Jr. in 1964 and moved to his hometown of Sandersville, Georgia. They had a wonderful, 56-year marriage and true partnership.

She considered her role as wife and mother her most important and rewarding life’s work. She devoted herself to raising her three children Anne, Rosa and Ben III and supporting her husband in his work as President of the Sandersville Railroad Company and in his state-wide civic involvement. A gracious and accomplished hostess, Mrs. Tarbutton frequently entertained business associates and friends at her home in Sandersville. She and Ben loved traveling and enjoyed many trips around the world. They also relished spending time at Sea Island, Georgia and Lake Toxaway, North Carolina with their children and friends. Known as “Ceci” to her grandchildren, she loved playing games with them and attending their sports events.

With a winning smile, great wit and engaging personality, Mrs. Tarbutton had a large group of friends of all ages. She loved playing bridge weekly and being part of a book club well into her eighties. A true Southern lady, she had impeccable manners and was always stylishly dressed. She was known for writing lovely hand-written notes and remembered a long list of friends with cards on their birthdays.

Mrs. Tarbutton was a doer and contributed much to her community and state during her life. Her volunteer work focused on libraries, preservation and her Methodist faith. She devoted much time to the Sandersville Public Library, later the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library, and served on the Oconee Regional Library Board for many years. She is a past president and trustee of the Transylvania Club, the women’s group that supports the library and designed the Georgia Historical Plates. As a member of the Washington County Historical Society, she was active in preserving the Old City Cemetery in Sandersville and the Brown House, a circa 1850 house that housed Sherman during the Civil War. A member of the Jared Irwin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she led the campaign to create a park and erect a statue of George Washington, for whom Washington County is named. A lifelong, devoted Methodist, she was an active member of Sandersville Methodist Church where she was past president of the United Methodist Women, past trustee and on the administrative board.

Mrs. Tarbutton is a past trustee of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. A member of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia, she was past chair of the Augusta Town Club. She was deeply supportive of her alma mater, Emory University, and served on the Candler School of Theology’s Committee of One Hundred. In recognition of her many contributions to Emory, she was awarded the Emory Medal, the highest volunteer award bestowed by Emory, in 1997.

Mrs. Tarbutton is survived by her three children: Anne Tarbutton Mori and her husband, John, of Atlanta; Rosa Tarbutton Sumter and her husband, Neal, of Atlanta; and Ben Tarbutton III and his wife, Betsy, of Sandersville; and seven grandchildren: Rankin and John Mori, Sadye and Fritz Sumter, and Ben IV, Annabeth and Henry Tarbutton. She is also survived by her brother, Vance Olney Rankin III, and step-sister, Nancy Gordy Simms.

The family wishes to thank Agnes Owusu, Mrs. Tarbutton’s caregiver during her final years, for her dedicated, compassionate care, as well as longtime, faithful helpers Kim Amerson, Clifford Durden, Shirley Adolphus and M.C. Biggins.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Sandersville Methodist Church Foundation, P.O. Box 611, Sandersville, GA, 31082, or the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library, P.O. Box 268, Sandersville, GA, 31082.

Condolences may be made online at mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.