Sara Morrison Lofton

Sara Calvin Morrison Lofton, 90, of Mount Pleasant, SC, wife of the late Alexander Lucas Lofton, passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2015. She was born on October 4, 1924, in Jefferson, GA, to Sara Catherine Brock and Summie Calvin Morrison. She spent her early years in Jefferson close to her maternal and paternal grandparents and many close family friends. The family moved to Greenwood, SC, when she was in elementary school; and after a brief time there, they moved to Charleston to a home located near the Citadel. She completed her elementary education at James Simons Public School and then attended Memminger High School (the public high school for girls at the time). During her high school years she was a member of the Citadel Knot Hole Club. She graduated in June of 1941. Sara attended the College of Charleston and was a member of the Alpha Nu Chapter of Tri Delta Sorority.

She was first employed by Citizens and Southern National Bank. She met her future husband, Alexander Lucas Lofton, of McClellanville, SC, on a blind date set up by a close friend. Sara and Alex were married on December 22, 1946, at Citadel Square Baptist Church where she and her parents were members. They first lived in Atlanta, GA, while Alex completed his degree at Georgia School of Technology. They returned to the Lowcountry and celebrated the birth of their first child, Alexander Lucas Lofton, Jr. Their first home in Mount Pleasant was an apartment on Hibben Street rented from Petrona Royall McIver. Their second child, Marianne, was born while they were building what Sara thought would be her dream home in Bay View Acres. Shortly thereafter, though, Alex found "his" dream home, a neglected turn-of-the-century house on Middle Street in Mount Pleasant right on Charleston harbor. Their third child, Cathy, was born after this move. Sara and Alex spent the rest of their lives turning this house into a warm and inviting home where they graciously welcomed family and friends, often for overnight stays. It became affectionately known as the Lofton Inn. Sara lavished her family and friends at her dinner table with Lowcountry shrimp, crab, and homemade rolls. Her fried okra and fried eggplant were two of her grandchildren's favorites. The meals at the home on Middle Street were enhanced by the views of the Charleston harbor from the dining room or porch.

She and her husband's favorite moments were sitting together in the evening on that porch.She is survived by her son, Alexander (Sandy) Lucas Lofton, Jr., and his wife, Deborah, of Sullivan's Island, SC; her daughter, Marianne Lofton Allen, and her husband, Clyde, of Mount Pleasant, SC; her daughter, Catherine Lofton-Day, and her husband, Joe, of Thousand Oaks, CA; her seven grandchildren include Alexander (Trey) Lucas Lofton III of Columbia, SC, Sara Lofton Pavone of Mount Pleasant, SC, Allison Leigh Allen of Summerville, SC, Alexis Catherine Bednar of Mount Pleasant, SC, Matthew Lucas Allen of Mount Pleasant, SC, Robert Lofton Day of Lynden, WA, and Sara Elizabeth Day of Pullman, WA. She is also survived by eight great-grandchildren: Sadie, Alex, Charlotte, and Parker Lofton of Columbia, SC, Sam Pavone of Mount Pleasant, SC, and Jack, Jovie, and Jasper Day of Lynden, WA.

She was a member of St. Andrew's Church in Mt. Pleasant where she served on the altar guild. After Sara's husband died in 2011, she moved to the Palms Retirement Community where she lived until shortly before her death on June 13, 2015, at Franke at Seaside.

Memorials may be made to St. Andrew's Church Altar Guild Fund, 440 Whilden St., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464, St. James Church, P.O. Box 111, McClellanville, SC 29458, or Hospice of Charleston Foundation, 676 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate her life at a graveside service at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 19, 2015, at Christ Church Cemetery, 2304 Highway 17 North, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466. ARRANGEMENTS BY J. HENRY STUHR, INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.