Saundra Voter

Mrs. Saundra Lou Robbins Voter, age 82, passed away on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Charlotte, NC. 

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in the Chapel of McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory with Dr. Rev. Buddy Cooper officiating. The family will receive friends one hour to the service at the funeral home, 3874 Gentian Blvd., Columbus, GA 31907. Interment will be held following the service at Parkhill Cemetery.

Saundra was born on January 22, 1943, in Columbus, GA, to the late Grady Odell Robbins and Lou Toy Bond Robbins. Saundra had an older brother, Van, who was her protector and only sibling. Saundra’s passion for reading developed as a child. She consistently devoured books and was an outstanding student. As a proud Jordan High School student and graduate of the Class of 1961, Saundra sang in the Jordan High School Girls Chorus and developed friendships that would last her entire lifetime.

During her senior year of high school, Saundra tragically lost her beloved older brother, Grady "Van" Robbins, in a car accident. This loss revealed Saundra’s resilience and self-determination. Upon losing her brother and facing a tumultuous family life, Saundra sought refuge in movies and books. In the summer of 1961, Saundra attended a showing of the film Gone with the Wind at the Bradley Theatre in downtown Columbus. The 1939 blockbuster film was based on the novel of the same title written by Margaret Mitchell. Saundra stated that viewing the film Gone Withthe Wind at that point in her life gave her strength. She continued to identify and draw strength from the movie’s lead character, Scarlett O’Hara for the rest of her life.

Saundra enrolled in Columbus College after high school. She had a quest for knowledge and staunchly believed in education. Her father was dismissive of this and thought her pursuits of education were a waste of time, but Saundra was undeterred and kept going. She acquired typing and bookkeeping skills while attending college.

She left Columbus College at age 20 to marry an Army soldier from New Hampshire. She would declare that she married him because he was the only man around taller than she. He was 6ft 6 inches tall. When her new husband was deployed to Germany and she was with child, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to be near his family. That short-lived marriage ended when she was just 24 years old. She left the marriage with her dignity and her first-born child, a daughter, named Scarlett.

Saundra returned to Columbus, Georgia, as a single mother in 1967. With limited family support, Saundra called this time the “you and me against the world” era, to quote a popular Helen Reddy song of that time. Saundra worked tirelessly to provide for her child. With her impressive typing and bookkeeping skills, Saundra landed a job at The Top 5 Club at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

It was there that Saundra met the love of her life, Dr. Wayne Joseph Voter. He was a strikingly handsome infantryman, 9 years her senior, who walked with a swagger that could rival John Wayne. When Saundra laid eyes on Wayne J. Voter, she declared, “I’m going to marry that man.” With her 5ft 9in statuesque frame, blond bouffant hair, and razor-sharp wit, Saundra was on Wayne’s radar. They dated and soon fell in love. That love carried Wayne through as he was headed back to Vietnam for another tour. Saundra wrote to him every single day while he was away. When he returned, they married. They tied the knot on July 9, 1970, at the courthouse, followed by a reception at The Top 5 Club.

By age 27, Saundra was balancing being a wife, mother, stepmother, and full-time employee. They started their life together in base housing on Ft. Benning. By 1973, they both wanted a quiet post-military life with some land. She and Wayne moved to Smiths Station, Alabama, and bought a home with a small farm attached. Saundra and Wayne welcomed their only child together, Valerie Robin Voter, in February 1973. Wayne’s four children from his previous marriage came to live with them on differing timelines. Saundra loved having another daughter, Jamie Voter, and 3 sons (Terry, Cliff, and Timmy) to add to their family. Saundra and Wayne worked diligently to blend their families.

By 1976, Saundra’s itch to obtain a college degree had resurfaced. She went back to college, attending night classes at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and then at Troy State University. She did all this while working full-time at CharBroil (part with WC Bradley) and balancing her home life. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Troy State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and later, she obtained her MBA. Saundra utilized her new degree to obtain a promotion at CharBroil and was so proud of her accomplishments.

Saundra was also fiercely determined to provide her children with the kind of childhood that she always wanted. She exposed them to dance and theatre, which instilled a love of the arts. This love of the arts led Saundra to become a volunteer at The Springer Theatre. With her innate organizational and leadership skills, she became a key volunteer in the box office and later backstage with the props and costumes areas. She remained active with The Springer throughout her lifetime. She was a season ticket holder for decades, and when she couldn’t attend a show, she gave her tickets to others who would never have had the opportunity to attend a performance. Saundra even used her personality and dramatic flair to perform onstage at both The Springer and The Human Experience Theatre in several dramatic and comedic performances.

Saundra found joy in so many things, both simple and ornate. She never met a piece of chocolate she didn’t like. Her love of Elvis and his music was so pronounced that the only music in her car was Elvis’s. Her affinity for Southern delicacies such as banana pudding and red velvet cake never left her. Additionally, her love of trivia, crossword puzzles, and reading was undeniable. She was also quite gifted at putting pen to paper and wrote poems, edited her church’s bulletin for years, and started a greeting card ministry in which she sent cards for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, and any other event worth nothing. Saundra’s beautiful swirly cursive writing was easily identifiable.

Her lifelong passion for all things Gone With the Wind (GWTW) only deepened and expanded. She became part of a group known as the “Windies”. This is a group comprised of “GWTW” fans from across the country. The Windies attended events together that celebrated Gone With the Wind in every way. Saundra was even able to meet several surviving cast members who had performed in the movie, which filled her with sheer bliss. This also launched Saundra’s foray into collecting Gone With the Wind memorabilia, which eventually led to her being featured in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times about her collection. Several of her Windie friends stayed in close contact with her even as Alzheimer's continued to take hold.

Lastly, even though Saundra had an unquenchable appetite for movies, books, arts, learning, and volunteering, nothing compared to her devotion to family. Saundra’s love for Wayne was one for the storybooks. Theirs was a love of the ages. But anyone who knew her knew that Saundra was quite a Mama Bear to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great grandchildren. Saundra was Mommy, Mama, and, of course, Nana.

Her joie-de-vivre, huge smile, infectious laughter, enthusiasm, compassion, intelligence, witty comebacks, and huge heart left an impact on all who knew her.

Saundra was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Wayne J Voter. In addition, Saundra was a loving and dedicated mother to all of their blended family: Wayne’s children, Terry Voter (preceded in death), Jamie Herbert (spouse Tom), Cliff Voter, and Timothy Voter, Scarlett Hollingsworth (spouse Ed), and Valerie Bos (spouse Brian).

Surviving grandchildren include Tanya Robledo, Kristina Clark, Matthew Voter, Megan Herbert-M’Sadoques, Wesley Hollingsworth, Jillian Hollingsworth, Sawyer Hollingsworth, Nicholas Bos, Emily Bos, and Christopher Bos. Great-grandchildren include Tristan Clark, Aiden Clark, Ciera Jaramillo, Haley Robledo, Jordan Jaramillo, McKenna Robledo, Chloe Jaramillo, Sophie M’Sadoques, Sullivan M’Sadoques, Theo M’Sadoques, and Lucy Rey M’Sadoques. Great-great grandchildren include Estella Suzanne Lemus.

The family requests that you please sign the tribute page and include any memories that you have and wish to share of Saundra, as these will be collected and treasured by the family. Flowers will be accepted, or those wishing to may contribute in her honor to Living Grace United Methodist Church.