Sandra Winfield "Sandi" Butts

UNION:
Sandi was a driven, intelligent, creative, loving person. Sandi loved giving. She always thought of others first, to the point she is known as Aunt Sandi to people in her life across the country. She ran an annual summer camp for her nephews, her neighbors, and their friends as young children setting their foundation for generations to come.
Sandra Kay Winfield Butts, 76, of Union, Mississippi, died at home on September 30th of flu related complications. She was born in Union at Laird Hospital in 1948 to Billy Ray and Frances Maureen Ward Winfield, who settled in Union after moving around the country for work from Chicago to Austin. Life was hard early on both financially and domestically. But, through it all Sandi loved her parents until their deaths.
The family ended up in Austin, Texas by her late teens where Sandi attended John H. Reagan High School, before studying History at the University of Texas, and going to work at South Bell telephone as a 411 operator and a shift supervisor; the youngest in company history. Sandi befriended many there, including University of Texas Tower Shooting victim Claudia Rutt and her fiancé Paul Sonntag as the couple was shopping on Guadalupe St. They often played bridge in the South Bell break room. Amazingly, Sandi even met and played bridge with the shooter, Charles Whitman, while he was dating another of her coworkers.
After that she found a perfect fit for her attention to detail and excellence in design as a custom framer. She owned several framing stores working design, production, and sales in Tuscaloosa, Dothan, and Daleville, AL before retiring to follow her husband Wesley Butts in his military career and changes in duty stations. Her home is adorned with many of her works to this day.
Sandi finally met the love of her life, Captain Wesley Joe Butts, USAF (Ret.) in 2002 on an online dating site. After messaging and talking on the phone for weeks, Wes drove up to from Fort Walton Beach, FL to the Outback Steakhouse in Dothan, AL to meet in person. He told her to either be there and we will have a great dinner together, or don't and he would have a great dinner by himself. Luckily friends convinced her to come, they met, hugged, and Wes was the best date ever! He told clever and funny stories of his travels so well that neighboring customers were laughing with Sandi. The night ended with milk and Krispy Kreme donuts. She fell in love with him that night-it just took him the next 7 years to convince her to marry him.
That happened after an expensive ER visit: Wes got Sandi to finally say yes, and they were married in Las Vegas, NV by a justice of the peace on December 30, 2008, to get the tax deduction for that year. They followed up with a great wedding in Meridian, MS at the Briarwood Country Club on August 1, 2009, to celebrate their union with friends and family. The newlyweds honeymooned in Fort Walton Beach, FL with her sister and brother-in-law after Sandi caught the flu. Debbie and Burlon Russell came to nurse her and enjoy the beach as payment, or so Sandi told Wes. She just wanted her best friend with her since our time was subdued by her illness and so Wes gave in as would become usual in their life together according to him.
Sandi and her little sister Deborah Russell were practically inseparable throughout their lives. From taking little Debbie's spankings, their marriages, and helping to raise Sandi's nephews, they were together through it all.
Everyone who knew Sandi Kay knew how much she loved college football, cooking, cleaning, and talking. Sandi was totally into college football. She was a University of Texas Longhorns football fan of the first degree. She never missed a game she could see.
Likewise, Sandi was a clean freak-sweeping and vacuuming, cleaning the house, doing laundry-all of it. She would cook and clean the kitchen at the same time, iron the bedsheets, and dust daily. Sandi was very house proud, and lucky for her, cleaning relaxed her making it the perfect combination of personality quirk and hobby.
She loved entertaining which showed off her love of home, her cooking prowess, and her giving personality in one go. But with age that fun was limited so she focused on enjoying conversations, mentorship, wisdom sharing and telling amazing family stories. Aunt Sandi could talk to anyone about anything from anywhere.
You couldn't have asked for a better wife, friend, or aunt. Sandi will be missed every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.
Sandi is survived by her husband Wesley Butts; her nephews, Trent Lee (April) and Dusty Blake (Shannon) Russell all of Little Rock, MS, Anthony Joseph Francis of Orlando, FL; her niece Julia Michelle Francis of Severn, MD her great-nephews, Gavin Lee, Gunner Ray, and Gage Preston Russell, and Peyton Christopher McGuirt; great-nieces, Gracie Claire and Chloe Faith Russell, and Ashlyn Grace Derrick; her brother-in-law Burlon Lee (Wanda) Russell all of Little Rock, MS; nephew Kevin Ray (Kathyrn) Winfield of Marion, MS, nephews Joseph Ray Winfield, of Meridian, MS, Zachary Tyler Winfield of Nashville, TN, and niece, Tristen Kanielle(Cameron) Holt of Hickory, MS, and their kids Amberly Grace, Navaeh Ray, Rachael Ray Camerson; a de facto niece, Emily McGuirt of Ozark, MO; her beloved uncle Burt Ward of Daphne, AL and former husband Lee Shook along with many more family members.
Sandi was proceeded in death by her father, Billy Ray Winfield; mother, Frances Maurine (Ward) Winfield; sister, Deborah Renee(Winfield) Russell; brother, Kenneth Ray and his wife, Elizabeth Ann (Gibson)Winfield; her niece Torrie Renee Russell; and her nephew Michael Gibson Winfield.
Sandi was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Little Rock, Mississippi for years and watched the services dedicatedly online since returning to the area in 2016 since her health kept her from attending in person.
A memorial service will be held Friday at 3 p.m. on October 4, at Milling Funeral Home in Union, MS with visitation from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sandi will be buried at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church following the funeral. It will be officiated by Rev. Jimmy Holder and Brother Rusty Walton. Pallbearers will be her husband, Burlon Russell, Trent Russell, Kevin Winfield, Charles Deister, and Tim Barnett.
Donations in her name to American Cancer Society (P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741) or MD Anderson Hospital (1155 Pressler St, Houston, TX 77030) would be greatly appreciated.