Sandra Kay Hunter (née Kenner)

Sandra Kay Hunter (née Kenner), B.S., J.D. Born October 15, 1944, in Dayton, Ohio, she passed away peacefully on February 28, 2026, in Maywood, Illinois, after a sudden illness. She is survived by her twin Linda Kenner, her brother Tim Kenner (Donna), her half-brother Dan Gibson, her daughter Lindsay Morrison (David), grandsons Nick and Hunter, nieces, nephews, cousins, and her cat Thumby. She was predeceased by her husband Benny Lee Hunter (October 11, 1983), her parents John Benjamin Kenner and Rosemarie Popovitz Kenner Gibson.

Sandra believed everyone she met was a potential friend and everyone had a story worth hearing. She made thousands of people, those close to her and acquaintances, feel special in big and small ways. Family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, clients, USPS clerks who saw her keep them in business with all the greeting cards she sent, grocery and vitamin store employees, receptionists and secretaries, the handyman. She asked about your life, she remembered, she cared about you.

If Sandra knew your address, there's a high probability that you received newspaper clippings from her about a topic you two had discussed. She would see a card with your favorite flower, buy it and save it for your birthday nine months away. She remembered you collected owls, that you'd played sax in your high school band, and your favorite team (especially if it was the Buckeyes).

Sandra was born October 15, 1944, five minutes before her sister Linda, in Dayton, Ohio, to Rosemarie Popovitz Kenner and John Benjamin Kenner. With her siblings, aunts, uncle and cousins, she enjoyed a loud but well-behaved childhood living next to their grandpa's Popovitz Bar and Cafe, even after losing her father when she was 5 years old. She suffered from polio as a child, but didn't let that keep her from dancing as a Belmont High Belle-ette with lifelong friends, at dances in high school and college and Jazzercise, at concerts and in living rooms. In fact Sandra, Linda, and Lindsay were stars of the dance floor at the Sock Hop at the twins' new community just a few weeks before she died.

Sandra loved school right away, once the school understood she and Linda must be in the same kindergarten class. She and Linda dressed alike into their 20s, starting in elementary school when their mom got tired of hearing them argue about who got to wear the red plaid dress and who had to wear the brown plaid. Rosie just made two of the same dress. The Kenner Twins were National Honor Society students and popular throughout all levels of school, quick with a smile and a laugh. They got in trouble at home for staying up all night reading novels. They attended Ohio State University together and were the first in the family to graduate from college, Sandra earning a BS in education and journalism. In the 40 years the twins lived in different cities, they talked on the phone almost every day, and traded the same Valentine's cards for decades.

At Ohio State, Sandra met the love of her life, Benny Lee Hunter. Certainly it was his kindness, and probably his dry wit that attracted her. He only danced for about 3 songs a night, but Sandra said "Good dancers don't always make good husbands. And he was a good husband." After graduation, she taught high school English, newspaper and yearbook, and married Benny in 1966. Ben was already working when their daughter Lindsay was born in 1967, so Sandra wrote his last college paper so he could graduate.

Ben brought home a cat for Lindsay, but Heather the cat loved only Sandra. Heather prepared Sandra for a lifetime of exemplary service to felines. Sandra and Ben moved to Chagrin Falls, outside of Cleveland, near college friends, and made so many good friends throughout the decades, and raised Lindsay. Together they watched rec league and high school soccer and attended all Lindsay's marching and concert band performances. Sandra was active in bridge, PEO and parent groups, The Federated Church, and gourmet club. The gourmet club was good company, but she didn't like to cook, even when Ben won one of the early microwaves. Her mom and Ben's mom had cooked too well, and Sandra became demoralized after losing an early battle with a pineapple, not to mention the zucchini soup incident.

Sandra was very proud to have earned a law degree in 1976, when only 10% of students at Case Western Reserve were women. Some became lifelong friends, as did her early mentors. She went to law school while Lindsay was in elementary school and Ben traveled all week. If you met her just a week before she died, she would have told you that Ben paid for law school so she could "get paid to talk back." In her estate planning and probate practice in Cleveland she helped people plan for and live through the hardest moments surrounding losing a loved one. Sandra held so many hands while people cried and died, and she certainly never billed for all the hours she spent with people. She understood their pain.

Sandra was crushed when Ben died suddenly in 1983. She thought and talked about Ben every day since he died. After his death, Sandra joined the Board of the Cleveland Eye Bank because he was a donor, even doing a commercial supporting organ donation.

Once the big hair of the 80s died down, Sandra started wearing hats, not every day but to any occasion that might possibly warrant it. She loved china, silver and antiques, and collected more than 250 teapots. There were always cats. She read all the spy novels, then moved to private eye and detective stories. She developed her practice of enjoying dark chocolate, yoga and vitamins. She won a lot of raffles. She voted for Democrats her whole life, especially for women, unless a female friend was running Republican. She's probably frustrated she missed the 2026 Illinois primary by just a few weeks, because she was going to vote for a woman for US Senate and state comptroller, and for female judges.

If you're lucky, you know firsthand Sandra gave a good foot rub. Dozens of godchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends' kids looked forward to seeing "Aunt Sandy." Not only for foot rubs and Advent calendars - she was fun.

Sandra went to plays and concerts, loving rock and roll, country western, bluegrass, pretty much anything she could dance to. She saw Elvis (young, and old), Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Emmy Lou Harris, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Del McCoury, local orchestral performances, and so many others. A regret was not seeing the Rolling Stones in 1978, but the crowd might have been "too rough" for her and 7th-grade Lindsay.

Sandra was incredibly proud of Lindsay graduating from Northwestern, even if Lindsay didn't come back to Cleveland to live, or when Sandra called her to come shovel her driveway in a big snowstorm. So many of Lindsay's friends throughout her life have fond memories of Sandra. By watching her mom, Lindsay did learn to listen and to care, that everyone deserves a kind word, and that there's great joy in helping others. Also to wear color-coordinated outfits and talk back.

Sandra had so much fun at Lindsay and David's wedding, even with a jazz trio in the afternoon rather than rock 'n roll. She was glad to see them happy for 30+ years, even when she had so few with Ben. She loved her grandsons Nick and Hunter, especially after they started talking a mile a minute, and she was so happy to feed their voracious reading habits. Nana's thoughts on PopTarts did not match Lindsay and David's parenting plans. Nana told the boys that Lindsay ate PopTarts for breakfast every day and turned out ok, so yes she'll buy them a few boxes - each.

In 2005 Sandra moved to Dallas to live with her twin Linda with a cat and just 35 teapots, a set of china, a lot of hats and shoes. Sandra handled the groceries and laundry and social calendar while Linda continued working. Sandra served as secretary for the neighborhood association, joined Linda at the barn and (shockingly) cleaned horse poop, and (unsurprisingly) fed the barn cats.

In the last decade feral cats found the twins' back porch Wedgewood Way - first 1, then 3, 7, and 16 of them - and enjoyed the cat cafe. Sandra served a variety of flavors whenever "customers" showed up throughout the day. Sandra often said: "The late Mr. Hunter, may he rest in peace, taught me it was important to take care of the animals before yourself." Three cats moved inside with the twins.

Sandra and Linda moved from Dallas to Illinois in December 2025 to be closer to Lindsay and her family. Sandra's 21-year-old barn rescue cat Thumby moved to Illinois with Sandra. Long-time neighbors are still feeding the small, neutered clowder that stayed behind.

Sandra loved, and all who knew her are better for it. She was never short on words, and she knew how to listen. You and your story mattered to her, and she looked forward to seeing you again. Please read a good book, dance to your favorite song, eat some chocolate, pet a cat, and share thoughts of love and laughter in her memory. Send love to those of us missing her each day, especially Linda, Lindsay, and Thumby. We wish we'd had more time to enjoy ourselves together.

In mid-June, family and friends will gather for a celebration of Sandra's life near Dayton, Ohio, and will inter her ashes with her husband Ben in Amanda Township Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in her memory to https://www.feralfixers.org/donate (where Lindsay and David adopted two of their current furballs) or Lifebanc.org, the Cleveland organization supporting organ recipients and donor families.