Sarah Coble Obituary

Sarah Kelly Coble died September 1, 2025, at the age of 99. A former Miss North Carolina in 1947, she was endowed with strong determination, intuition, and purpose which stood her well in her business career that followed. Loyal to her family and friends, Sarah had a knack for brightening any room she entered. Her eyes would crinkle with joy as she greeted guests, making everyone feel instantly at ease. Sarah was born July 8, 1926, in Wadesboro, NC to Earnest Franklin Coble and Sallie Pearl Kelly. Sarah was the middle child and grew up as a "tomboy", wearing overalls, and playing baseball with her two brothers, Earnest F. "Erk" Coble, Jr., (deceased), and George Hal Coble. The family moved to Monroe, NC where she attended high school before heading to Queens College in Charlotte, NC. On June 14, 1947, Sarah was crowned Miss North Carolina. She was featured on the cover of The State magazine as well as others across the nation In February of 1949, Sarah began her career as a dance instructor for the Fred Astair Studio where she became an excellent teacher which she loved to share throughout her life. After her time as a dance instructor, Sarah started in sales working door to door in Raleigh, NC selling everything from encyclopedias to "The Relaxisizer", an electric muscle stimulator machine. Soon, she found her true calling, real estate. In 1959 she created a recreational real estate company and developed and sold several second home communities in North Carolina, such as Summer Place and Crystal Beach, among others. In 1963, Sarah transitioned from North Carolina real estate to manage the regional office for The Mackle Brothers of Florida. She soon became the 2nd highest volume office in the nation, behind Chicago, Il. Her success in the Florida market caught the attention of Intercontinental Realty in Freeport, Bahamas. After several successful years working from her office in Charlotte, NC, she was invited to work on site in Freeport and made the move in1967. As she continued to be a top producer for Intercontinental Realty, she began to diversify and invested in several businesses from jewelry to barber shops. Sarah eventually returned to North Carolina to work for a developer to build a golf and lake resort. She was promoted to Executive Vice President in 1983. Sarah retired and moved to Surfside Beach, SC and enjoyed many years of retirement in Garden City, SC Sarah was blessed with three sons, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren and too many cousins, nieces and nephews to count! She is survived by her younger brother George H. Coble of Apex. NC: Sons: Lee and wife JP Handsel of Vass, N.C., Tim and wife Cathey Handsel of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wayne and wife Delette Haiduven of Southern Pines, N.C., Grandchildren: Vanessa and husband David Roddenberry of Wake Forrest, NC and their boys Connor and Cullen: and Taylor and wife Laura Handsel of Franklin, TN: Justin and Hayley Handsel of Myrtle Beach, SC with their children, Emma, Harper and Cole; and Brittany Handsel of Baltimore, MD: Cameron Haiduven of Buies Creek, NC: Should you choose to honor Sarah, donate to your favorite charity or your local Hospice, which provides an invaluable service for families, or just enjoy a beautiful sunset and think fondly of her. Sarah requested that no funeral service be held, and her ashes spread over the ocean. To view these details online or to offer words of comfort through the online guestbook, kindly visit the funeral home website at, www.burroughsfh.com Burroughs Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Murrells Inlet, (843.651.1440) is honored to be assisting the family. To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.