Sandra Lee Chachere McGrew passed away on September 29, in Lakeway, TX after a brief battle with cancer. She was born September 9th, 1946, in Alexandria, Louisiana to Lionel “Sandy” Chachere and Eris Smith Chachere. As a Navy brat, she spent her early years in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Jamaica, Long Island before eventually returning to Louisiana. She graduated from North Side High School in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1964. Sandra attended The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Vanderbilt Nursing School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sandra moved to Shreveport in 1974 and began working at Glen Oaks Retirement home as the Director of Nursing. She eventually pursued her Administrator’s license and became Assistant Administrator of Glen Oaks and then The Glen Retirement Village. She stayed with the Glen Retirement System throughout her career, working as Director of the Stiles Apartments at The Glen, Director of Glenwood Gardens, Director of The Cottages Memory Care Facility at the Glen and Chief Operating Officer of The Glen Retirement System. Sandra married John Michael “Mike” McGrew in December of 1991. They spent 25 wonderful years together, dancing, working on projects, enjoying their camp and wearing matching shirts to the horror of their children. Upon her husband’s passing in 2013, Sandra moved to The Woodlands, TX. She spent the next 8 years volunteering, traveling, enjoying her cooking club and spending copious amounts of time with her grandchildren and grand dogs. In 2021 Sandra moved with her family to the Austin area.
Sandra is preceded in death by her husband Mike McGrew and her parents Lionel and Eris Smith Chachere. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Bison Coyle (Wes) of Lakeway, TX, stepson John McGrew (Joni) of Pollock, LA, stepdaughters Sharon McGrew Long (TJ) of Buena, TX, Alisa McGrew McGehee (Ben) of Monroe, LA, Beth Bison Huddleston of Palestine, TX and Jo-Anna Bison Slate of Chandler, TX. She is also survived by grandchildren: Charlotte & Grafton Coyle, Josiah, Kevin & Joshua McGrew, Andrew and Jacob Long, Sarah Herrington, Ella, Lilly and William McGehee, Reggie Coker, Britni Calzada, Jess Huddleston, Savannah Turman and Samantha Batton as well as 20 great-grandchildren. Sandra also leaves behind in-laws Gary and Denise Coyle of Lakeway, TX and Jim and Shannon Wise of Austin, TX as well as their children, Sutter, Tatum and Ramsey. Lastly, she is survived by Cousin Susan Simmons (Michael) and her son Chad Mercke, Sister-in-law Marie McGrew and her children Karen Wagner (Kyle) and Dana Korry (Jim), nephew Matt Chachere (Margarita) and niece Julia (Gerald) Chachere, and of course, her beloved Sam Heughan.
Sandra hated roller coasters (except Rockin’ Rollercoaster), Tobias Menzes, the actor who played Black Jack Randall on Outlander because “no one who acts that mean on screen can be nice in real life,” rodents, and anyone who put tomatoes in gumbo. She loved to cook, make elaborate cakes, work in her yard, LSU, make costumes for Class Act Productions, travel, research her ancestry, attend Broadway Musicals, and all things Outlander. The world is a little less bright without her and a whole lot less fun.
A memorial service will be held in Sandra’s honor on Sunday, October 9 at Osborn’s Funeral Home in Shreveport, LA. Visitation will begin at 1:00 in the afternoon with a service to follow. The Reverend Dave Fortuna will preside over the memorial. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Will Herndon Research Fund for Juvenile Batten Disease Research.
