Sonja Ann Coker Stikeleather, 82, of Dillard, died peacefully at The Oaks Scenic View nursing home in Baldwin on June 22, 2022, after a three-year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
She was born Dec. 28, 1939, to parents Edward and Melba Coker in the rural, unincorporated prairie town of Myakka City, Fla. Her eyes always twinkled to share that she was delivered by her paternal grandmother, Alma Coker, the local midwife and the closest thing to a doctor in that area at the time.
Sonja was proud to hail from “Old Florida” pioneer stock -- the original “Crackers” -- so named for the cracking sound of whips as the cowboys rounded up the cattle. She glowed when she spoke about her piney-woods upbringing surrounded by diverse wildlife and her bonnet-wearing, butter-churning, self-sufficient generations of grandmothers. And she loved all things “cowboy,” especially her horseman daddy and “The Duke” John Wayne.
A witty, creative and resourceful woman, she studied the performing arts at the University of Florida and received accolades for her stage performances there in the late 1950s.
She married in 1961 and began her family in Arcadia, Fla., where she and her husband, Lovick, bought 20 acres; built a home from scratch; and immersed themselves in the “back to the land movement” of the late 1960s and early 1970s, raising livestock and growing their own food while also honing their skills as fine craftspeople.
They moved their family to Valdosta in 1974 where she worked as senior secretary and office manager for McLane, Dover and Sherwood Law Firm for several years. After that, Sonja and Lovick established a furniture restoration and antiques business called “The Attic” which they owned and operated until moving to their beloved Rabun County, Georgia, in 1994, where they opened an antiques, furniture restoration, fine woodworking and folk arts business of the same name in Dillard, Ga.
An avid reader and lover of material folk culture (particularly textiles), Sonja, aka, The Rag Lady, mastered sewing, quilting, weaving (for which she was featured in Foxfire Magazine), furniture caning and basket making, to name just a few of her many skills.
She did a two-year stint as a dorm parent in the boys dormitory at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School and for many years spoke fondly and proudly of the youngsters she met there.
A woman of deep faith, she was an active member of Head of Tennessee Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school for many years. She also served on the board of Sharing and Caring where she was a devoted volunteer.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Lovick Stikeleather and her son Shane Stikeleather.
Surviving her in death are her daughters Carrie Tatro (George) of Atlanta, and Laurel Ramey (Michael) of Franklin, N.C.; five grandchildren: Rachel, Julia, Justin (Amy), Jared (Alisha) and Cheyenne; former daughter-in-law Jacquie Newton; 10 great-grandchildren: Aubrey, Ely, Amelia and Tyler, Maia, Landon, Augustus and Katherine, and Tristian and Alise; sister Fay Coker of Sarasota, Fla.; brothers Lucky (Mary) Coker of Sarasota, Fla., and Phillip Coker of Wiggins, Miss.; nieces and nephews Ranie, Cody, Jim and Anna Kate. Numerous friends and other relatives will sorely miss her.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Sonja’s name to Rabun Sharing and Caring, 108 Plaza Way, Clayton, GA 30525, American Cancer Society P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741 or to Allianceofhope.org for suicide loss survivors.
A memorial service will be announced at a future date.
The Clayton Tribune
June 30, 2022