Gary Lee Sapp, age 81, of Vestavia, Alabama, passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Born in Sandwich, Illinois, to the late Gilbert and Anna Sapp, Gary grew up in Campbellsville, Kentucky before training as a classical musician. He then earned his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Tennessee. For over three decades, Gary trained generations of students as a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education.
Gary was a lifelong music enthusiast, with eclectic tastes ranging from Vladmir Horowitz to Seals and Crofts. He also loved basketball, all manner of sweets, and the wildlife that roamed his Vestavia Hills, Alabama property. Through his teaching, scholarship, and love of his family, he touched many lives in large and small ways. We are all better for having known and loved him, and we will miss him dearly.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Midgen Witham. He is survived by his loving wife
Rebecca Sapp; his children: Morgan Sapp (Diane), Erin Sapp (Melinda), Matthew Sapp (Melissa), Sean Sapp (Kelsey): and his brother Philip Sapp (Brenda). Gary is also survived by his grandchildren: Andrea, Christina, Jessica, Danielle, Joel, Hannah, and Nathan: and his great-grandchildren: Elliott, Ida Mae, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amber.
A visitation for Gary will be held Friday, September 20, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Ridout's Valley Chapel, 1800 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL 35209, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM.
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