Sandra Washburn

Sandra Jean Washburn, a lifelong educator and cherished member of the Bloomsburg community since 1972, passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on March 5, 2024. In her final days, she was surrounded by family—and ’50s music—while in hospice care at Lima Estates in Media, Pennsylvania, after a courageous battle against interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis.

Born on August 18, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona, Sandy was the daughter of William Travis Jones and Ethel Lillian (Edgar) Jones.

Sandy’s passion for education blossomed early in her life. She graduated from Tucson High School in 1959 and four years later went on to earn a degree in elementary education from the University of Arizona, where she was a proud member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. It was during these years that Sandy’s spirit of service and commitment to nurturing young minds began to take shape.

Sandy was known for her enthusiasm and zest for life. A lifeguard in her youth, she started working as a PIAA swim official in 1989, a job she continued to perform into her 80s. A lover of arts, crafts, gardening, bird watching, and leisurely walks around Bloomsburg, she found joy in the simple pleasures of life and shared that joy generously with those around her. She took great pride in her Market Street home, where she resided for 50 years and also served as a landlord to upstairs tenants. And she remained close with many of her high school and college friends right up to her death.

Sandy’s legacy of kindness, selflessness, and unwavering dedication to her community will forever be treasured by her family and friends. She is survived by her two devoted sons and their wives, Dave Washburn and Emilani Crow of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Dan Washburn and Bliss Khaw of Media, Pennsylvania, as well as her adored grandchildren, Sam, 19, and Lily, 18, of Honolulu, and Izzy, 8, of Media.

A celebration of Sandy’s remarkable life will be held in Bloomsburg this spring, where she will be fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing her. In accordance with her wishes, her ashes will be scattered in Bloomsburg, Media, and Honolulu, so she can forever be close to family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in her honor to the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum, an organization that held a special place in Sandy’s heart, at 2 W. 7th St, Bloomsburg, PA 17815, 570-389-9206, [email protected], the-childrens-museum.org.

Arrangments provided by Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home  15 E 4th Street Media,PA 19063

www.haganfuneralhome.com.