Saundra D Walters

Saundra “Sandy” Walters was born on November 7, 1947, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Lily and John Walters. As the daughter of a military parent, her early years were filled with travel before her family settled in Columbus, Ohio, where her younger sister, Gloria, was born.

Sandy’s life was shaped early by both love and loss. As a teenager, Sandy experienced the tragic loss of her mother in a car accident. In the years that followed, she and her sister were lovingly raised in a multigenerational home by their grandmother, Mattie Richardson. Mattie’s steady guidance, love, and strength became Sandy’s foundation and helped shape her resilience, compassion, and deep devotion to family.

Sandy met her high school sweetheart and became the proud mother of two children, affectionately known as Nippy and Shelly. Guided by her adventurous spirit and love of travel, she later moved with her two young children from Columbus, Ohio, to New York City—the Big Apple—where she met the love of her life, Bobbie Ferguson. Their union brought her youngest son, Calvin, who shared her birthday, a detail she treasured.

Family was Sandy’s greatest pride and her greatest legacy. Everything she did was rooted in love for her children, her sister, and the generations connected through her. She built a long and successful career in banking and finance, with a passion for financial literacy. She often shared her favorite advice: “Live within your means and maintain excellent credit.” She worked for many years with Chemical Bank before relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she continued her career with First Union. She later retired from Wachovia Bank and fully embraced her senior myears, saying she planned on doing “whatever the hell I want to do—or not want to do.”

Sandy was known for her quiet resilience, steady strength, and generous heart. She weathered life’s challenges with grace and remained deeply devoted to those she loved. Her presence brought comfort, wisdom, and a msense of home to her family and friends.

Sandy passed at her home surrounded by her children. Her life stands as a testament to endurance shaped by love — love received, love given, and love sustained across generations. She will be remembered for her strength, humor, practical wisdom, and unwavering spirit. Her legacy lives on through the family she cherished and the many lives she touched.

She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Mattie Richardson; her parents, John and Lily Walters; her sister, Gloria Garrett.

Left to cherish her memory are her children: Lester Walters (Jackie), Calvin Walters, and Shelly Walters; her grandchildren: Itiah Lewis, Shakina Lewis, Tafari Graham, Briannah Walters, Destiny Gillis, Miya Gillis, Rasheka Walters, Kendal Walters, Calvin Keyon Walters, Christopher Walters, Calvin Walters Jr., and Autumn Walters; and seventeen great-grandchildren. Her two nieces, Ronda (Carlos) Brown and Tamika McLean.