Sandra Jean Jones
July 1, 1948 - October 14, 2026
Sandra Jean Jones
July 1, 1943 — October 14, 2026
Sandra hopes to be remembered for love of family, loyalty to friends, and passion for knowledge. She leaves this message for all of us: “Read and learn all your life. Watch the sunrise and the moonrise. Enjoy cooking and eating good food. Love music and poetry; they’re the language of the soul.” Sandra died surrounded by loving care at her home in Montview Manor Senior Community, Denver, Colorado, on October 14. She is survived by her son Matt, daughter-in-law Amy, grandson Michael, and many loving friends and neighbors. Sandra Lewellen was born on July 1, 1943, in Corpus Christi, Texas, where her father was training to be a Navy pilot. However, most of her formative years were spent in Missouri, first in Appleton City and then in Smithton, Pettis County, where her father was a county extension agent. Her mother was a homemaker and the best country cook Sandra had ever known.
Sandra was the oldest of five children and the only girl. She and her siblings grew up on their parents’ small 30-acre farm, spacious for a
child. There were ridges, fields, trees, and a stream. When she was about 13, her father brought home a circus pony, who they named
Diablo, and she always remembered the freedom of riding bareback. Sandra loved being outside, walking and feeling the changing seasons. Rural Missouri also offered a strong community life, including the Smithton Methodist Church, that she and her family enjoyed.
From an early age, Sandra wanted to be a writer, and that desire was apparent throughout her life. In high school she had poems published and eagerly looked forward to going to college. She was accepted into the University of Missouri at Columbia, where unsurprisingly, she majored in journalism. One of her major achievements was having a full-page newspaper article published on a library board controversy involving moderate members and those belonging to the John Birch Society. At graduation she received at special award for highest grade point average. Before starting college, Sandra took a summer job in a cafe kitchen in Grand Lake, Colorado. Relaxing at The Stagecoach Bar after work, she met her future husband, Myron (Mike) Jones, a Vermont native also there for the summer. They married a few years later during their college years. After graduation, Mike, by then a structural engineer, eventually accepted a job in Denver, CO, and the couple moved to East Denver in 1965.
In Denver Sandra put her writing skills to work. She wrote for a neighborhood newspaper, The University Park News, along with various freelance assignments. In 1971, she gave birth to a son, Matt. Throughout his growing up years, she was proud of him and later, of the compassionate and devoted husband and father he became. He lives in Lakewood with his family. After her divorce from Mike in the 1980s, Sandra made a career change. Tapping into a strong interest in geology, she earned a master’s degree in that field from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her degree, combined with her writing skills, led her to a long career as a technical editor for environmental companies. One of her proudest achievements was extensive writing on the Submerged Quench Incinerator, which was instrumental in cleaning up chemicals and munitions at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, now the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Sandra loved her job, retiring at the age of 71. In retirement, she had more time to devote to other interests:visiting and planning celebrations for family and friends, meditating, reading and participating in activities of the First Unitarian Society of Denver.
In 2018, she moved to Montview Manor, a senior community, where she enjoyed social activities and served for several years as recording secretary of the residents’ social committee. She appreciated and was inspired by music, especially the work of the late composer and singer Leonard Cohen, as well as concerts of Irish, roots, and folk traditions. She also enjoyed and played Native American flutes and Irish whistles.
Donations in Sandra’s Honor
Please direct any donations in Sandra’s honor at First Unitarian Society of Denver
