Mandy Densmore
August 26. 1968 – November 14, 2023
Gainesville, Georgia, USA
Mandy Densmore, fashionista, Swiftie, traveler, loyal friend, and lover of life, passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
Mandy was a force of nature that was born in Gloucestershire in 1968. Early on, schoolteachers remarked that she had a wide vocabulary and was above average in time spent socializing with her friends (this would not change). In 1989, she jumped at the opportunity to spend her gap year as a nanny in the United States. She traveled to Georgia, where she proved to be the proper English nanny for a set of twin boys. During this time, she met her future husband Rick, who promptly hid her passport and refused to return it until she agreed to marry him. Upon the return of the passport, they were married in Twigworth Church in Gloucestershire, England.
Mandy and Rick resided in the Atlanta, Georgia area for most of their marriage and in 1998, Mandy gave birth to their daughter, Charlotte Rose. Mandy and Charlotte shared everything: brown eyes, an affinity for concerts, secrets, hopes, fears, the feeling of having your family an ocean away, and a size 10 shoe collection.
Mandy was the perfect combination of English fortitude and Southern style. She held the royal family in high esteem, travelling back to the UK for the King’s coronation and for royal weddings. She loved hydrangeas and peonies, and she pinned a poppy to her lapel each November. She loved the sheep and rolling hills of the Cotswolds, and to see the Christmas lights sparkle on Regent Street. She also loved her front porch and backyard pool, and to watch the sun set on Lake Lanier.
Mandy was a fashion icon, consistently walking the line of timeless and trendy. She knew “her colors” and “her shapes,” and always dressed accordingly. Friends and family went to her for style advice. She was the best person to go shopping with, because she’d be brutally honest and then help you find something you liked better than what you’d picked out in the first place. Her daughter Charlotte is proud to inherit her closet.
Mandy thought of everything, and she knew everything. She never missed a birthday or a holiday, and she never lost touch with old friends. Her family lovingly referred to her as Moogle, because her boundless wisdom topped any search engine. Mandy knew how to party—”funky drink” in hand (always non-alcoholic), she’d be the first on the dance floor and the last to leave. She knew the best brand for everything because she saw it on Instagram or read about it somewhere (formerly, O Magazine, more recently, “the New York Times” (lit. Tik Tok)).
Wherever Mandy went, she was instantly loved. Mandy saw people for who they were, and when they talked, she truly listened. She showed up for people. At their darkest moments, she pulled them out of a rut with the kind of warm, tough love that only she could pull off. At their best moments, she showed up with bells on and the perfect ‘Mandy-fied’ gift in hand. She will be missed deeply by all who had the joy of knowing her.
Mandy fought inflammatory breast cancer for four years. While this battle did not define her, it did highlight many of her amazing traits: bravery, grace, class, kindness, resilience, joy. Throughout her journey, she befriended nurses, doctors, and “IBC sisters.” She continued to be there for her family and friends in such a big way, and her radiant smile echoed through every room she entered. Almost exactly 24 hours before her passing, Mandy woke up from a nap and exclaimed that she felt like doing the “David Beckham dance.” And so, as she often did, she hopped up and started dancing. This is how her family would like her to be remembered. Dancing until the very end.
A remembrance service will be held at the Marina Bay Clubhouse (6338 Marina Club Drive, Gainesville, Georgia 30506) on Sunday, November 26, 2023, Georgia at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The IBC Network Foundation.
