Sandra Lee (Sandy) Butterfield was born in South Bend, Indiana on September 5, 1960. As was the custom then, she and her mother came home from the hospital six days later which just happened to be her brother's fifth birthday. He eagerly awaited her on the curb of a neighbor's house and considered her his personal birthday present. Her family moved to Mishawaka when she was in elementary school and she graduated from Mishawaka High School in 1978.
After working for a couple of years Sandra moved to Louisville, KY where she earned an associates degree from Bellarmine College (now University). She worked in retail fashion and eventually rose to the level of buyer for a national chain. Upon leaving the corporate world for a quieter life, she managed the retail store of an interior design firm. She spent two months every year starting from Labor Day erecting multiple Christmas trees in the store and arranging myriad decorations for the impending season. She had a genuine talent for decoration. Sandy had a strong artistic bent and worked with various media over her lifetime. And she was rarely without a pet cat who she always adored dearly. Sandra and her mother collected costume jewelry together and she always spent part of her visits home with her father in his bass boat. And she loved traveling and sight-seeing, taking pictures and collecting souvenirs.
After several years of long-distance dating, Sandra married Allan Powell of Taunton, UK in 2013. The wedding was magical and took place in one of Sandy's favorite places, Las Vegas. They were a perfect match. She immediately felt strong maternal instincts for his two adult children and their babies and toddlers.
Sandra is predeceased by her husband, her father John Butterfield, and her mother Dorothy Butterfield. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Jim Butterfield and Natalia Yakimenko, and Sarah Strong, her niece with whom she shared a love for artistic expression. Also surviving are her stepchildren, Michelle Powell and Lee Powell, both of Taunton, UK. Burial will be private.
