Obituary: Sandra Sargeant

Throughout Sandy’s life she was a homemaker. In 1990, she married George Sargeant, and created a warm and welcoming home for their family and friends, and especially for all of George’s adult children and grandchildren and for her own young nephews. She loved cooking, baking, and canning vegetables and fruit in season. She was always very generous in sharing her canned goods with family and friends. Sandy belonged to quilter’s groups, where she made many lovely friends who learned from one another and worked together on making quilts for others, including hospital patients and people in the military. Sandy also volunteered at the County Extension Office, teaching canning classes and in support of 4-H programs. Sandy frequently exhibited her baked and canned goods at the Wasco County Fair and won many awards for her wonderful creations.

In addition to their active membership and participation in the spiritual life at First Christian Church in The Dalles, where they especially enjoyed the music program, Sandy and George volunteered at Cat Link for many years after retirement. They not only helped at the cat shelter, but raised abandoned kittens in their own home, bottle feeding them and socializing them over several weeks until they were placed in their “forever” homes. Their love for animals made it difficult for them to say goodbye to each litter of kittens, but they knew that there would be more litters they could help. They often adopted cats that were less likely to find homes, and two of her surviving adopted cats, “Feather” and “Opie,” comforted her during her final years.  Sandy was very caring, and always willing to help at church and in the community. Sandy continued her involvement in bible studies and her work with Cat Link until she and her husband moved to the Willamette Valley in 2019 to be cared for and surrounded by family.

In their retirement years, Sandy and George enjoyed traveling to Arizona to spend time in the winter with her sister and brother-in-law Sharon and Forrest Gitt. Family gatherings at the Oregon Coast each Christmas and summer “un” birthday parties for George at various family homes in California and Oregon were especially important to Sandy and gave the opportunity for the large extended family to get together. She baked and cooked in preparation and was always the resident “photographer” for the events. She especially doted on the little ones during these special family gatherings, where her generosity and love of family and children were always central to the events.

Sandy was predeceased by her parents Vern and Alma Morinville, her stepdaughter “little” Jeanette Sargeant, and her sister-in-law Jeanette Maier. Sandy is survived by her husband, Rollo (George) Sargeant of Beaverton; her brothers-in-law Bill Maier of Corvallis, and Jim Sargeant and his wife Elaine of The Dalles; her three siblings, Wayne Morinville of Dallesport, Wash., Allen Morinville (Allen’s Cycle Shop) of The Dalles, and Sharon (Morinville) Gitt and husband Forrest, of Beaverton; her stepchildren Toni Smith and husband Keith of Aumsville, Tammy Lee and husband Dana of Salem, Kenny Tibbets and wife Margaret Holmes of Oakley, Calif., Joan Heckerson of Chico, Calif., Kathy Oedekerk and husband Gary of Tualatin; “little” Jeanette’s partner Ruth Verkuyl of Myrtle Creek; and many nieces and nephews and step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren who loved their “Grandma Sandy.”

Sandy will always be remembered for her kindness, warmth, love, and wonderful sense of humor. She will be greatly missed. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.