Former Georgia first lady Sandra Deal dies at 80

ATLANTA - Georgia’s former first lady Sandra Deal lost her long battle with cancer on Tuesday. She was 80.

Deal passed away at her home in Demorest with her husband, former Gov. Nathan Deal, at her side and surrounded by their family.

Deal was diagnosed in early 2018 with breast cancer and had a tumor removed. She would undergo chemotherapy for several months, but the family said the cancer metastasized into brain cancer.

The Rev. Bruce Morgan, who officiated Sandra and Nathan Deal's wedding, will officiate the private service and interment. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville. The Celebration of Life will be live-streamed, with details forthcoming from Memorial Park Funeral Home.

Former first lady Sanda Deal accompany her husband, former Gov. Nathan Deal. (FOX 5)

"We have lost a wife, mother and grandmother who loved us unconditionally, as we did her. She blessed us, taught us and enriched our lives," the Deal family said in a statement. "Our family knew this day was coming, and we are grateful that it gave us the opportunity to enjoy as much time with her as we could in her final months. We are grieving but celebrate her life and the example she set. A woman of unshakeable Christian faith, she did not fear death because she had no doubts about her ultimate destination and knew that we’d all come together again one day. Beyond our family, she touched thousands and thousands of lives as a teacher and as First Lady of Georgia, when she read to students in every county and every school district in the state. The public Sandra Deal matched the private Sandra Deal. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-first-lady-sandra-deal-shares-photo-undergoing-chemo-treatmentShe gave to others selflessly, unfailingly and unceasingly. We will miss her but count ourselves lucky that we were hers. She leaves a world that’s better because she was here."

A Georgia native, Deal grew up in a house full of educators, a calling she too would follow. After graduating from high school in Gainesville, she would attend Georgia College and State University, where she received a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1963. Five years later, she would earn her master’s degree.

In between, she would marry her husband of 56 years, Nathan Deal.

Deal would teach language arts in Hall County for more than 15 years.

Former Georgia first lady Sandra Deal reads to Rowland Elementary School in Stone Mountain, her 900th school visit, on Oct. 12, 2018. (FOX 5)

As first lady of the state of Georgia, Deal would continue to advocate for education and literacy. She would go on to visit more than 900 schools, reading to classes and promoting literacy. She would end up visiting schools in all of Georgia’s 159 counties and all 181 public school districts while her husband was in office.

She was co-chair of the Georgia Literacy Commission, playing a significant role in Read Across Georgia Month and has partnering with the Get Georgia Reading Campaign.

Deal was known for her compassion and ability to connect with Georgians. In 2016, she visited several Red Cross shelters, reaching out to those displaced by Hurricane Matthew.

Former Georgia first lady Sandra Deal being honored in 2016. (FOX 5)

That same year, Deal would be honored by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters as the 2016 "Georgian of the Year."

Deal published a book "Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion" in 2015 where she spoke with former Georgia first families to help weave the history of the governor’s mansion together.

In 2017, Georgia College & State University unveiled the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy in her honor.

Gov. Brian Kemp said he, First Lady Marty Kemp and their daughters "are truly heartbroken to learn of former First Lady Sandra Dunagan Deal’s passing."

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, who also served during Gov. Nathan Deal's term, says she brought a "rare level of beauty, grace, dignity, and warmth to the Governor's Office."

"She was a source and inspiration for the greatness of Governor Nathan Deal. She touched the lives of so many Georgians and made our state a better place. To know her was to love her and be loved by her," Speak Ralston wrote. "We will miss her smile and her way of lifting up all those around her. But we take comfort knowing she is in the peaceful presence of our Heavenly Father.

Services for Deal will be announced soon.

She is survived by her husband and four children: Jason, Mary Emily, Carrie, and Katie.

Donations can be made to The Deal Foundation at www.thedealfoundation.org or PO Box 2, Demorest, GA, 30535.