Lauren Sills Champion's Obituary
Lauren Emily Sills Champion, 78, of Vineland, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday afternoon March 19, 2023 after a courageous 18 month battle with brain cancer. Lauren was born in Charleston, SC on February 11, 1945 to the late Kenneth G. and Shirley Marcia (Smith) Sills. She was raised in Wayne, NJ and after college moved to South Jersey. Lauren settled in Fairton in 1977 when she married Earl T. Champion, Jr., who passed away in 2011. The couple moved to Vineland in 2002.
Lauren was a 1963 graduate of Wayne Valley High School and 1969 graduate of Glassboro State College majoring in Education and Art. Lauren started her teaching career and in 1971 began teaching at New England Town Day School in Fairton, NJ and is known by many locals as their “Kindergarten Teacher”. In 1982, she went to work at F&R Safety Products in Richland, NJ where she enjoyed her job designing and lettering project and traffic signs for over 25 years. Lauren loved crafting and with her husband started Champion Crafts. You could always find her painting, drawing, sewing, crocheting, and doing other creative projects. Lauren loved spending time with her family, with many pastimes including camping in Lancaster or vacationing in Disney World and Chincoteague, VA. She was fond of lighthouses, whether it was collecting them or visiting them. She really enjoyed working in her yard planting flowers and filling the bird feeders. She liked watching the birds, especially the cardinals.
Lauren is survived by her son Scott K. Hepner; daughter Ami A. Coia and her children Henry L. Coia III and Katrina M. Coia; stepdaughter Jill K. Elbertson (Ronald) and her children Katherine M. Delgado and Roberto “Funda” Delgado and granddaughter Noreen Pearl Hannah. She is also survived by a sister, Amanda “Mandy” Hinchman (Douglas), nephews David & Carl Hinchman and their families; as well as various relatives and many friends she considered family.
Other than her parents and husband, Lauren is predeceased by a sister Shirley Lee Turner and by her beloved son-in-law Henry L. Coia, Jr. who passed away last year.
The family would like to thank the nurses, aids and staff of Holy Redeemer Hospice for their outstanding care. For those that desire, memorial donations may be made to Holy Redeemer Hospice, 521 Moredon Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 or online at www.redeemerhealth.org.
Family and friends are invited to attend funeral services on Saturday, March 25th, with a visitation from 10am-11am and service at 11am from the Sray Webster Funeral Home 62 Landis Ave. at Carll’s Corner Upper Deerfield Twp. Pastor Christopher O’Brien of the Fairfield Presbyterian Church will officiate. The interment will be in Laurel Lawn Cemetery.
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