Janet Sanford

1937 - 2021

Janet Sanford
August 13, 1937 - November 26, 2021
Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Janet Vavra Sanford (84) of Pittsboro, NC passed away November 26, 2021 at N.C. Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. She had been a resident at Galloway Ridge retirement community since 2008. She was born August 13, 1937 in St. Joseph, Missouri to the late Emerich Robert Vavra and Janet O'Rear Vavra. Mrs. Sanford was preceded in death by her husband, William Gordon Sanford. Surviving are Janet and Georg Buehler of Hillsborough, NC; Bill and Heather Sanford of Chapel Hill, NC; and Karen Grace of St. Joseph, MO. Janet's grandsons are Aidan Emerich Buehler, Malcolm Francis Buehler, James Gordon Buehler, Mason Emerich Sanford, Oliver Warren Sanford, and William James Sanford. Mrs. Sanford graduated Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 1959. From 1960 to 1967, she held positions as director of occupational therapy at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation in Beaumont, TX; Bothwell Hospital and Children's Center in Sedalia, MO; Research Hospital and Medical Center in Kansas City, MO; as well as supervisor of pediatric occupational therapy at Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. From 1969 to 1970, Janet served as the hospital commander's wife at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. As a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC, she was co-chair of the Living with Cancer support group. She was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood over 50 years. Janet was known for her smile, her courage, and her endless sense of humor. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC on Thursday, December 9 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to UNC Hospice, c/o UNC Health Foundation, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 510, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.