Obituary: Amy Dell Sargent Crafton
Amy Dell Sargent Crafton, 74, of Somerville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully at her home on July 20, 2026, surrounded by her family, after battling cancer. Born March 19, 1952, to Howard and Myrtle Sargent, and raised in Haywood County, Amy lived a life defined by quiet, unwavering faith, resilient love, and tireless service to others.
For 32 years she was the meticulous bookkeeping heart of the Newcastle cotton gin, balancing the accounts to the penny, before retiring to care for her grandchildren and her husband. A gifted pianist, she found lifelong sanctuary at the keys, serving Mount Moriah Baptist Church as pianist for more than 40 years — often playing three times a week — as well as homecomings at Bethel. She lived out her faith through humble action.
Amy’s greatest legacy was her boundless, fierce love as a wife, mother, grandmother, and caregiver. In her later years she poured her nurturing spirit into raising her beloved granddaughter, Haley Grace, and the Goddard children, Buckley, Daniel, and Jordan whom she viewed as family, and into hand-crocheting beautiful blankets for community newborns and graduations. She enjoyed baking, gardening, sewing, crafting, caregiving for her husband, her bible study group, watching Wheel of Fortune, and helping others in every way she could.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Howard and Myrtle Sargent, and by her husband of 53 years, Lester Leroy Crafton, Sr., who passed away in March 2026.
She is survived by her son, Lester Crafton Jr.; her daughter, Lori Crafton Cherry, and son-in-law, Mark; her adored granddaughter, Haley Grace Cherry; her brothers, Gary (Peggy) Sargent and Barry (Debbie) Sargent; her sister-in-law, Charlotte; and many loving nieces, nephews, and friends into whose lives she poured her heart.
Services were held at Shackelford Funeral Directors in Bolivar on Friday, July 24 at 2:00PM with visitation two hours prior. Burial to immediately follow the service at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Whiteville.
Courtesy of Shackelford Funeral Directors, Bolivar, Tennessee.
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