Julia Sheila Sanders

Julia Shelia Sanders, born on May 19, 1935, in Jackson, Mississippi, peacefully passed away on August 12, 2025, in Gulfport, Mississippi. surrounded by her two daughters Cathy & Laurie and her granddaughter Julia. We are very grateful for their specialized hospice care in her final days.

Sheila was born in Jackson and raised in Hazlehurst, MS. She is the daughter of Robert David Sanders (of Meridian, MS) and Kelly Peeler Sanders (of Kosciusko, MS). She is preceded in death by her parents; her dear stepmother, Catherine Williams Sanders; two brothers, William (Bill) Sanders and R. David Sanders; ex-husbands, Matthew P. Murphy (father of her daughters), and Michael E. Lively; and her long-term partner, Dr. Carnes Weeks.

She is survived by her two daughters and three grandchildren, Cathy Murphy Ziengs & Dennis Ziengs (Wassenaar, Netherlands), Daniel Ziengs (London, UK), Laurel Murphy Whitworth (Long Beach, MS), Julia Whitworth (High Falls, NY), and Matthew Whitworth (Wilmington, DE). She is also survived by her beloved sister, June Sanders Clement & her husband, Dr. JC Clement (Lufkin, TX); and sisters-in-law, Bobbie Jean Allen Sanders (Jackson, MS) and Toddy Porter Sanders (Jackson, MS); and dozens of cousins, grand-cousins, great-grand cousins in the extended family.

Sheila received her BA in speech pathology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and was a member of the Chi Omega sorority there. She met her future husband Matt at SMU and they married in Hazelhurst. Matt’s international background opened her eyes to the wonders of new cultures and languages. They experienced many new adventures together as a young married couple with children in New York City, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Dallas, TX. She never lost touch with her roots as each summer was spent with her siblings and their children all together at KAYWOOD, the family farm in Mississippi. No matter where else she made her home in adult life, was always a Mississippi gal in her heart.

The next chapter of her intrepid lifestyle continued when she and the girls moved to Greenwich, CT with Michael Lively, along with many dogs, horses, cats and a donkey. The cherished farm life from her childhood was recreated in the backwoods and horse trails of CT. She lived by the motto: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. In the midst of breeding horses at home, she was proud to own a few champions on the national Hunter & Jumper scene.

In her next phase of life with Dr. Weeks, she lived a horse-country lifestyle dividing her time between Stanfordville, NY and her farm in Hazlehurst, MS. Sheila and Dr. Weeks shared Christian fellowship, love of nature, travel, many friendships, family and of course horses & dogs. It was during these years that she bred award-winning dogs, qualifying in multiple years for the elite Westminster Dog Show in NYC. For special work, she trained some of her own dogs to be therapy dogs for service in hospitals and schools for autistic children.

She retired alone to her treasured ‘ThistleRose Farm’ in Mississippi and was a valued member of her church community and an endearing circle of friends called the

‘Hazlehurst Hotties’ that was full of fun and laughter. Sheila’s life radiated Christian love, openness to all people and generosity toward others. She created magic worlds for any children in her life, embodied dramatic flourish and humor with adults, and she always had a spiritual connection with living creatures. (horses, dogs, cats, donkey, turtles, snakes, frogs, and mice). The final four years of her life were spent on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to be near and share time with her daughter Laurie.

We find this scripture represents her enduring faith:

Job 12:7-10 (NIV) “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

The family will have a private memorial at a later time. We welcome you to share messages and upload any of your photos in our guest book on this site for all to enjoy.

In the spirit of Sheila, if you are so moved, please consider making a donation to either of these animal organizations in Mississippi: CARA Mississippi https://carams.org/ Hub City Service Dogs https://www.hubcityservicedogs.org/

Riemann Family Funeral Home, Long Beach, is honored to serve the Sanders family.