Sophia Grace Blanton

Sophia Grace Blanton, age 20 of Hoschton, GA, passed away April 15, 2022, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) surrounded by family.  Sophia, known as Sophie, Super Sophs, and Tough Stuff, was born Dec. 22, 2001, at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA. 

Sophie loved camping, bonfires, the Kansas City Chiefs (especially Travis Kelce), riding horses, reading, singing, and dogs, especially Rosie.

Sophie, a National Honor Society member, graduated with honors from Mill Creek High School in 2020.  While attending Mill Creek, Sophie lettered in Equestrian, Orchestra, and all four years academically.

She was accepted into the University of Georgia and intended to pursue a career in the medical field to help other children afflicted with illnesses, as she understood their journey and wanted to use her personal experience to help others.

Sophie deferred her college experience in order to receive a bone marrow transplant in July 2020.  She then received a second transplant in January 2021.  Sophie lived out the majority of the last 20 months of her life in CHOA.  Throughout it all, Sophie remained positive, and encouraged other patients in the BMT unit.  She had a prayer list and prayed for needs big and small for those around her, focusing more on the needs of others than on her own.

During the beginning of the pandemic, Sophie wanted to plant wildflowers in a flower bed that her father, David, had just planted blue juniper in.  David had wanted low maintenance ground cover, and Sophie wanted flowers.  While David was working, Sophie pulled up the juniper, shook the dirt from the roots and set them back down and covered the roots with pine straw to make sure the junipers did not take over the flower bed.  Sophie was headstrong to say the least.

As Sophie’s time was winding down, and all of her loved ones were sharing how loved and cherished she was, her sister Mikayla had just finished pouring out her heart, and Sophie replied with “Is that my shirt?”  Sophie maintained her spunky, funny, amazing spirit until the end.  Her body broke, her spirit never did. 

While Sophie’s life was all too brief, she lived it boldly.  She loved, and was loved, deeply.  She cared for others unreservedly.  Sophie was smart, funny, beautiful, ambitious, and had a lovely voice.  In fact, Sophie accomplished nearly everything she ever set her mind to.

The brightest fires burn the fastest, and there are few, if any fires that burned brighter than Sophie.  For those that knew and loved Sophie, the grief is so overwhelming because the grief we feel today is equal to the love that we have for the person we have lost.

Sophie was preceded in death by her grandfathers Jack Tewalt, Jr., and Donald Blanton and of course her beloved Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek.  She is survived by her mother, Amanda Blanton, father, David Blanton, sister Mikayla Blanton, her boyfriend Deven Allen, her dog Rosie, grandmothers Debi Ward, Pat Tewalt, and Lola Blanton, grandfather Joe Ward, six aunts, four uncles, and several cousins.

Celebration of Sophie’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022, at 12Stone Church, Hamilton Mill Campus, 3858 Braselton Hwy, Buford, GA 30519.

Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel 770-945-6924 Share memories of Sophie at hamiltonmillchapel.com