Sandra Lee Washington

Sandra Lee Brown Washington began her 78-year journey of life on March 3, 1944 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the firstborn child of Charles and Myrtle Brown. Sandra attended Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools and graduated in 1962 from Lincoln High School. Following graduation, she moved to San Antonio, Texas to begin her adult life.

Some Enchanted Evening…
One night at a local social club, a young Alvin Washington recalled staring at a woman wearing a black dress. He commented, “She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.” Alvin asked her to dance—and the rest—as they say—is
history. After a time of courting, Sandra and love-struck Alvin were married on May 26, 1965. For all the joy you brought to my life, for all the wrong that you made right…
As a wife and mother Sandra Lee Washington was top-notch. She was a fine homemaker who took excellent care of her family. Her children were always groomed, their clothes clean and pressed. She even pressed their bedsheets! Family meals were fresh and homemade. Her home was always filled with the mouth-watering aromas from pots simmering on the stove. Chicken and dumplings, navy beans, chili, and cornbread were among her table offerings.
Along with keeping house, Sandra held various jobs from time to time. She worked at Santa Rosa Hospital as a clerk, then Sears Roebuck, and was a court reporter for a time. In addition to working full-time, she held down side jobs selling Avon and Stanley Home Products to friends, neighbors, and community members. Sandra knew how to stretch a dollar. She clipped coupons, and was an accomplished seamstress. She made most her daughters’ school clothes, prom dresses, and even wedding gowns.
It is fair to say that Sandra Washington knew how to make something out of nothing. Her family never went without. When she shopped at a department store, she always asked for product samples, and discounts on clothes or shoes if she spotted a small defect. And she got it! Always modest in her appearance, she instilled this attribute in her daughters and grandchildren. There would be no going to church without wearing stockings or a slip under your dress. One could expect a real Sandra “blessing” if she found out otherwise. She loved reading and had a special bent for romance novels. And while she enjoyed the Motown sound, she listened to the
likes of Frank Sinatra and other crooners of the era. Sandra relished in taking care of her grandchildren—even to her very last days. If a family member needed childcare, she always said, “Yes.” She understood that their parents sometimes needed a break. She made sure the kids were safe, fed, and clean. By and by when the morning comes all the saints of God are gathering home… And so it was that early on Thursday, July 28 —just as the night stars were blinking off, and the sun was gathering its brightness for dawn—the angels came. Tenderly they fastened her wings whispering, “Sandra, Beloved, let’s go home.” Sandra is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Myrtle Brown, and her oldest son Verbal Jordanton. Left to celebrate her life include: her sister Patricia Green of Vancouver, Washington; and brothers Charles Brown of Vancouver, Washington; and Barney Brown of Los Angeles, California. Every soul is to be cherished; every flower is to bloom Sandra leaves her beloved husband, Alvin Washington. She leaves also 2 sisters-in-law, Leola W. Wilkins and Alice Williams. She leaves her children: Deanna Swisher (Gayland), Dean Washington, Lorraine Green, Alaina Pineda, Princella Griffie (Robert) and Marilyn Lowe. She will be missed by treasured 14 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. They will forever be a part of her legacy. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31