Oakdale, Louisiana - Memorial services for Mrs. Lana Ruth Mynatt Sandefur will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2025, in the Chapel of Rush Funeral Home, Oakdale, with Lane Grisby, Dr. Robert Janot, and Diane Bacon officiating. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon under the direction of Rush Funeral Home, Oakdale.

Mrs. Sandefur, 81, of Oakdale, entered eternal rest on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA.

She was born on October 30, 1943, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lana was the daughter of T. Ellery and Ruth Duncum Mynatt. A 1965 graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College, she was a proud member of Kappa Delta sorority, a cheerleader, and a beloved "Moonlight Girl." In 1968, Lana married her husband of 57 years, Dr. James Sandefur, and together they built a beautiful life in Oakdale, Louisiana with their two children, of whom she was always so proud.

Lana taught elementary school in Oakdale for nearly twenty years and was loved and adored by all her students. She was a long-time member of the Oakdale Garden Club. She and Dr. Jim enjoyed their lake home in Marco, Louisiana and spent lots of time there after Jim's retirement. She loved her grandchildren and cherished every moment with them. She could often be found with a crossword puzzle in hand and Lulu the dog by her side. Lana was a very special person and was well loved by everyone who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, T. Ellery and Ruth Mynatt; one brother, Roger Mynatt; and one sister, Joan McEwen.

Those left to mourn her loss and cherish her memory include her loving husband of fifty-seven years, Dr. James Sandefur of Oakdale; one son, James "Jamey" Sandefur, Jr. (Erin) of Denham Springs; one daughter, Alana Sandefur Karam (Michael) of Creswell, Oregon; one brother, Tillman Ellery "Ned" Mynatt of Cloudland, Georgia; one sister, Dolores Mynatt Reynolds of Englewood, Tennessee; and seven grandchildren, Knox Karam, Colton Karam, Carson Karam King, Georgia Karam, Grace Sandefur, Brooke Sandefur, and James "Jimbo" Sandefur, III.

Lana Sandefur was a devoted supporter of Southern College of Optometry, her husband's alma mater. To honor Lana's partnership and commitment to Jim's distinguished career in Optometry, gifts may be made in Lana's memory to Southern College of Optometry, where her legacy will benefit future eye doctors through the Mrs. James D. (Lana) Sandefur Memorial Scholarship. https://www.sco.edu/give

Friends may post online messages of condolences for the Sandefur family by visiting www.rushfh.com