Etta Elizabeth Taylor Sands March 24, 1936 – January 5, 2023 How does one capture the essence of Etta Elizabeth Sands on a page? You can't. She was an absolute original, a force of nature, a Renaissance woman. Etta Elizabeth Taylor was born to parents Robert Phillip and Ossie Irene Brasington Taylor on March 24, 1936, in Manning, South Carolina, where she was the oldest of five children. When she was little, she wrote that they lived the life of a gypsy as her father's work constructing roadways moved them from place to place. In 1943 her parents acquired a general store in Glen St. Mary, Florida. Growing up in a grocery store shaped her in many ways. Betty understood the value of hard work, how to save money, and to make do with what you had. She, along with her family, helped many other families in our community that found themselves in need during the Depression. Betty graduated from Baker County High School in 1954, where she was on the girls' basketball team, the yearbook staff, and the homecoming court. She graduated from Massey Business College in 1955 and went to work as a bookkeeper. Her employers recognized her intelligence and urged her to go to college. She enrolled at the University of Florida and graduated with an education degree. She started her teaching career at Dupont High School, where Betty developed her unique teaching style. Betty and Ralph Sands married on January 10, 1964, and she moved back to Baker County to their home on S. College Street. Betty started teaching at Baker County High School, where she won numerous accolades for her dynamic classroom instruction. These included being elected BCHS Teacher of the Year by her peers five times, and she won the district teaching award in 1978. Betty taught for 36 years and served as the BCHS English Department Chair for over 20. Betty was enshrined as a member of The Baker County Educational Wall of Fame in 2012. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Kappa Teaching Sorority, where she held various offices. She also was a member of the Baker County Retired Teachers Association. Betty Sands is fondly remembered by her students. For years she took high school students to New York City, showing them all the best of Broadway, art museums, and historical landmarks. Betty truly made a difference in the lives of so many of her students. As a mother, she made a wonderful home for her children, and in her own words, "When my husband and I could no longer agree, I took responsibility for my family." And she did. Kelly and John were the center of her world. She was a single working mother, but her children never felt slighted. She filled their lives with music, all genres, trips, family reunions, beach time at her beloved Crescent Beach Condo, and in later years enjoyed going with her grandchildren to Disney World. Betty was also the faithful organizer of the annual Taylor Family Reunion held in Taylor, Florida, at the Taylor Community Church. She believed in the importance of family and knowing family heritage. In her own words, she summed up her life, "I believe in the goodness of people and of life. I have been a member of the First Methodist Church of Macclenny since I was ten years old. I am surrounded by family and life-long friends. Life has been very generous to me." Betty is survived by her children, Kelly Taylor Sands Marini (Anthony) and John Taylor Sands (Patricia), as well as her six grandchildren: Jena Heflin (Blake), Taylor Marini, Jesslyn Thomas (Eli), Kellen Macari (Claude), Jackson Sands and Karlie Marini; with two great-grandchildren, Jett Heflin and Lily May Thomas. She is also survived by her brother, Robert Phillip Taylor Jr. (Sandy), and sister, Sandra Gail Gifford (Doug). She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Phillip and Ossie Irene Taylor, sister, Frances Stokely, and brother, Terry Michael Taylor (Betty). A celebration of our Betty's life will be held Monday, January 9, 2023, at 11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church of Macclenny with Reverend Bryan Simpson officiating. Interment in Taylor Cemetery will follow. Her visitation will be held Sunday, January 8, 2023, from 5:00-7:00 pm at her church as well. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for contributions to the Betty Sands Educational Scholarship Fund, First Federal Bank, 784 S. 6th Street, Macclenny, Florida 32063. Arrangements entrusted to the care of BLACKBURN-CURRY FUNERAL & CREMATION, 380 N. Lowder Street, Macclenny, Florida 32063. (904) 259-2806. Please share your condolences with the Sands family at www.blackburncurryfh.com.