Sandra Margaret Lowe Sanchez

Sandra Lowe Sanchez, age 51, a long-time San Antonio business journalist, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011 due to complications from breast cancer. She was born on Feb. 11, 1959, in Nashua, N.H.

Sandra was married to Jos Sanchez, an elementary school teacher, and the couple has two children, Alicia Sanchez, and Ezra Sanchez. Sandra was preceded in death by her father, Malcolm Lowe. Survivors include her mother Irene Lowe and her brother Steven Edmund Lowe of Nashua, NH. Sandra also is survived by a loving brood of fifteen nieces and nephews and a slew of loving aunts and uncles from both sides of the family.

Sandra graduated from University of Southern Maine with a degree in social work. Soon after, she became a community organizer with ACORN in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston for several years. It was here that she met the love of her life, Jos, and they began a six-year courtship.

During this time in 1984, Sandra also started her career as a journalist when she took a job with various community publications, including the Dorchester Community News and The Tab. In 1987 she took a job with the daily Eagle Times in Claremont, N.H., and about a year later moved across the border to the Southern Vermont Bureau of the Rutland Herald. In 1989 Jose and Sandra were married in Nashua, NH.

In 1990, the couple moved to San Antonio, and Sandra worked for a short time as a reporter for the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. The following year, she was hired by the San Antonio Business Journal as its banking and insurance reporter. Sandy covered that beat for three years, until 1994, when she was promoted to special report editor for the paper.

In that position over the past 17 years, Sandy helped to craft the voice of the paper by developing and overseeing the editorial production of the newspaper's numerous special reports and special publications, including one very dear to her heart, the 40 Under 40 special publication, which honors San Antonio's up-and-coming business stars.

Beginning with next year's 40 Under 40 publication, the Business Journal will create a new award called "The Shining Star Award in Honor of Sandy Lowe Sanchez."

More than anything, Sandra loved her husband and children and found great purpose and joy in being a mother and wife. After a hard day's work, she was always actively involved in her children's extra-curricular activities and social lives, as well as her husband's musical projects.

All four were deeply engaged in a common, but personal spiritual evolution and journey, made present each day with a dinnertime prayer. She always voted, she organized fundraisers, she rescued stray dogs, and loved hosting parties. She was in daily communication with her family in the northeast. As a mom and wife, she was effusively affectionate, enthusiastically encouraging, and often lovingly pushy.

Sandra was a persistent, courageous spirit who battled and beat breast cancer twice before succumbing to its ravages this week.

SERVICES

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 at 10 a.m. at the Southwest School of Art Coates Chapel at 300 Augusta, 78205. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either WINGS, a nonprofit breast cancer treatment organization at http://www.texaswings.org/donate.html or the Thrivewell Cancer Foundation http://www.thrivewell.org/donate.html