Sandria Neidus Kerr

1940 - 2025

Sandria Neidus Kerr

Oct 1, 1940 - Oct 29, 2025

Sandria Neidus Kerr died on October 29, 2025, at Salemtowne Babcock Health Center in Winston-Salem, NC, from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare form of dementia. She was born October 1, 1940, in Youngstown, Ohio, the oldest child of Morris William Neidus, who immigrated from Belarus at an early age, and Ruth Alexandria Hutchinson, whose family had a long Ohio history. Her mother invented Sandria's given name by shortening her own middle name. Sandria was exposed to a variety of viewpoints from birth.

In elementary and high school, she excelled in academics, especially mathematics and science, and was the valedictorian of her graduating class. She also engaged in ballet dancing in elementary and junior high school and developed a love of music by singing in the high school girls' chorus. In her senior year, she developed managerial skills as the editor of her class yearbook.

Sandria attended the College of Wooster in Ohio. She majored in both mathematics and physics and sang popular music and show tunes in the girls' chorus and the classical music of Bach and Verdi in the college concert choir. She met her future husband, William Kerr, early on at Wooster. They graduated in 1962 and married a year later.

After college she continued her academic trajectory by attending Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania to achieve a Master of Science degree in mathematics and then earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mathematics from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. They moved several times during this period because Bill finished his PhD in physics in 1967 and moved to short-term positions in Sweden and then in Chicago. With great perseverance Sandria continued her PhD research and obtained her degree in 1971. While all of this academic work was going on their two daughters were born.

In 1970, Bill accepted an academic position in Winston-Salem, NC, and in 1971 Sandria obtained a position in the mathematics department at Winston-Salem State University. In the 1980s, computer science became an important discipline and to help WSSU move into this area, Sandria reoriented her expertise by spending two summers at the Institute for Retraining in Computer Science (IFRICS) at Clarkson University, which taught computer science to individuals who already had advanced degrees in mathematics. Sandria then transitioned to the computer science department, where she continued her career at WSSU until retiring in 2008.

Music always played an important role in Sandria's life. While in Ithaca, she sang in the Cornell University Concert Choir, and after moving to Winston-Salem, she joined the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale, where she sang for over 40 years and later the choir at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem.

After her retirement, Sandria became a tutor for young children through the Love Literacy project. Sandria and Bill traveled widely, taking Road Scholar trips with their grandchildren and river boat tours in Europe. Life-long lovers of nature and avid hikers, they explored many mountain ranges throughout the US, from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico.

Sandria is survived by her husband, Bill; two daughters, Tamara Kerr (Jacob Murad) of Teaneck, NJ, and Elizabeth Fish (Stanton Fish) of Glen Rock, NJ; and four grandchildren, Ethan Murad, Alexandria Murad, Julia Fish and Mira Fish; and a sister, Esther Neidus Brockman of Hendersonville, TN.

Sandria's family is grateful for the competence and loving care provided to Sandria by the staff at Salemtowne Babcock Health Center and Trellis Hospice Care.

Contributions in Sandria's memory may be made to the Salemtowne Team Membership Scholarship Fund www.salemtowne.org/giving or CurePSP https://www.psp.org/ways-to-give

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem (4055 Robinhood Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27106-4736) on Saturday, December 20th at 2 p.m.

Send condolences online at www.salemfh.com.

Salem Funeral Home

2951 Reynolda Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27106