Sandra Madsen

Sandra Slater McDonald Madsen Jones died peacefully in her sleep on May 1, 2015, following a decade of Alzheimer’s and dementia. She was born on August 28, 1937, to Marie Evelyn Alston Slater Done and John Williams Slater, Jr. in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sandy was gracious and unusually energetic. She would light up a room because of the great love she had for everyone. She was a “people person.” She was a wonderful mother to her five sons whom she raised in Arlington, Virginia. Sandy climbed trees with her boys, adopted pets of every variety and at the same time taught her boys an appreciation for the arts. She worked in Washington D.C. for more than two decades, lobbying and working in public relations and as Director of Public Affairs and Education for the Washington D.C. Superior Court. Her flair and creativity earned her an invitation to the White House to carve a replica of President Jimmy Carter’s face using a pumpkin. She starred on a fitness program which aired in the Washington DC area. After retiring, she and her husband Walt moved to Arizona, and to Utah, where she enjoyed volunteering with the Utah Symphony and Utah Youth Village, to name a few. Sandy lived a full life and continues to inspire all those who knew her.

Sandy was preceded in death by her husband Walter Christian Madsen; husband Wes Jones, sons Robert Kent McDonald and Stanley Bradford McDonald. She is survived by her sons David Gregory McDonald (of Florida), Craig Courtney McDonald (of Florida) and Mark Stephen McDonald (of Virginia), Stepchildren, Anna Marie Cameron (of California), Ritta Foglia (of California) and Christian Madsen (of Arizona).

A Funeral will be conducted by Bishop Val Martin, and held on Friday, May 8, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. in the Cottonwood Heights 1st Ward, located at 7075 South 2250 East, Cottonwood Heights, Utah 84121 where a viewing will be held one hour prior.