Sandra "Dondi" Kay Barnhart

She was a friend to both cats and people — most of them, anyway — and will always be remembered for her quick wit, lively humor, and refreshingly honest conversation. Music was one of her great joys. She loved to sing and spent many years as a member of a Sweet Adelines chorus, passing along to her children a lasting appreciation for voices and song. She also loved being outdoors whenever she could.

Dondi was born in Bryan, Ohio, in 1943 to Chester Woodrow Barnhart and Mary Denzil Pemberton Barnhart. During her childhood, the family moved nearly every year as she followed her father’s career as a shoe store manager.

Her love of horses began early. As a teenager, she became a passionate and determined barrel racer and never tired of sharing stories about her favorite horse, Patches. She later studied Physical Education at Montana State, where friends gave her the nickname “Dondi,” a name that stayed with her for the rest of her life.

After graduating, she moved to Chicago and joined Eastern Airlines as a sales representative. She eventually started her family in Miami, Florida, and later settled in Anderson, South Carolina, where she remained until her passing.

Dondi was preceded in death by her parents, Chester and Mary Barnhart and her siblings, James and Ronald Barnhart and her grandson Gavin Irick McCoy.

She is survived by her children, Dawn Lynn Gurrad McCoy married to Carl Russell McCoy and Jack Gurrad married to Laura Gurrad, grand daughter Carly Lynn McCoy, and great grand children Jaden Scott, Ella Root, Oakley Scott, and Dakota Scott. She is survived by her dear Sister-in-Law Darlene Barnhart, her niece Terri Lynn Barnhart Clouse and her family, and her nephew Bruce Dean Barnhart and his family.

Honoring her wishes, there will be no formal service; instead, family and friends will gather in Indiana for a celebration of life and the scattering of her ashes. She will be deeply missed.