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Sarah Lynn is the second eldest of an impoverished trailer park family from the neighboring town of Radcliffe. Despite her parents being married, her mother ran the household while her father was a rolling stone, coming and going throughout the years. It was largely up to her older sister, Mindy, to help take care of her and their brother, George. Their younger sister, Susan, came years later, when they were all adults.

In her adolescence, Sarah Lynn’s beauty stood out, which led her to enter the local county pageant—a decision that resulted in her winning and eventually earning the title of Miss Kentucky in the early 1970s. It was also during this time that she met young farmer Peter Saunders, whose father, Jimmy, was one of the judges at the county pageant, which forever changed her life. The two later married, resulting in a forty-year marriage. Though becoming a farmer’s wife meant putting her own aspirations aside, nothing was ever more important to her than family.

When the series first began, friends and family celebrate Sarah Lynn and Peter’s forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Another shock soon follows when their youngest daughter, Martha, returns home after years of pursuing a music career in Los Angeles. Sarah Lynn is even more stunned to learn that Martha is pregnant—a revelation Peter is not thrilled about, causing tension in their marriage. However, when Martha faints from dehydration, Peter decides to make amends, and together they are delighted to welcome their youngest grandchild and first grandson, SJ. Sarah Lynn is present at his birth when Martha delivers in the back of Steven’s truck after they are stuck in traffic.

She remained fervently supportive when her eldest daughter, Louise, divorced her husband, Sean. She also stands by Peter’s side when he suffers a heart attack; nonetheless, he later suffers another one, and this time it proves fatal. His death takes an emotional toll on the usually upbeat woman. Sarah Lynn’s mental health becomes a concern when she believes she seen Peter’s spirit. Eventually, her family helps her realize she needs help coping with her grief. Since then, she has begun seeking therapy and has managed to pull herself back together.