Sandra Faye Winder

Sandra Faye "Sandy" WINDER, age 69, of Saint Charles, Missouri passed away on Saturday, June 11, 2022. Sandra was born July 17, 1952 to Thomas and Estelle (nee: Martin) Brittain. Thomas has preceded her in death. Sandy is survived by: her mother Estelle; her children: Tina (Scott) Mumper, Jaime Lauck, Toby (Kristen) Lauck; her grandchildren: Matthew Mumper, Haley Mumper, Caleb Mumper, Brooke Lauck, Emma Lauck, Michael Mumper, Jacob Lauck, Julianna Mumper; and her sister Donna Kreamer.

Sandy enjoyed her involvement in her church, especially Bible Studies with her friends. Following are words from her daughter-in-law Kristen:

A lot of people have horror stories about their mothers in law. It’s been a stereotype/topic of jokes for as long as I can remember. When I tell you I won the lottery as in what I got for an in law parent with my mother in law, I’m not lying. This lady was the sweetest, most joyful and optimistic woman I’ve ever met. Honestly, looks and stereotypes are deceiving. My mother in law always looked perfect. Immaculate style. And she enjoyed riding motorcycles. Jeans and leather jackets were her style. And she always looked stylish. She was most proud of her kids. She always was so proud of how well they turned out and what fine people they grew into. She loved her family. She told me one time she could not have asked for a better son in law-Scott, and daughter in law-me, for her kids. Sometimes her kids did things she didn’t understand, but she always respected them as people who were making their own life choices and encouraged them to be themselves.

She was brave. And a fighter. She dealt with many health issues in her lifetime and always had a smile on her face, and the cheerfulness in her voice when she would respond “I’m doing okay.” When asked how she was doing, she didn’t want people to worry, and didn’t want her condition to be a burden, but she was real about her struggle near the end. She always had faith about when her time came to leave this world, she would be able to leave peacefully and with her loved ones. Jaime provided her with that.

She loved her family. Her grandkids never failed to remind her how blessed she was in life. Her family was her everything.

She leaves behind her sister and her mom as well. Donna and Sandy would text daily and have that sister relationship that, for some, takes years to develop. No parent should ever bury their child, but Grandma has survived the passing of her husband and now daughter. We see where Sandy got her strength from. Tina, Jaime, and Toby were surrounded by strong, brave, and God-fearing women.

Sandy’s kids took everything she taught them and made it their own. Tina is a teacher at a private church school. She has 5 kids and is married to a youth pastor. Faith was such a huge part of Sandy’s being. And they were able to share in this. Jaime is a female veteran who served her country in the Air Force and is just as headstrong as Sandy in battling illnesses head on. Staying optimistic helped both of them battle their respective illnesses in their way and one might call it stubborn, but they both had their own vision of how to handle their challenges. And then, there’s the baby of the family. Toby is currently 18 years into his career in the Navy. He has learned loyalty from his mom. He also has this positive outlook on life and refuses to give into the negative the world has to offer. He smiles and does his best to make others smile too, just like his momma would do for anyone who came to her with anything but a smile on their face. I’m only speaking on behalf of her children, but I have no doubt her friends would offer the same stories to Sandy’s character. That’s just who she was as a person. Stylish. Never saw the negative in anyone. Optimistic to a fault. Loved with her whole heart. And was adored by so many for her sweet and joyous self.

Memorial contributions may be made to Visiting Nurses Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.alexanderstlouis.com for the WINDER family.