Mr. & Mrs. Avern & Thelma Sandridge in Chattanooga, TN. Donella was
called home to be with the Lord on May 28, 2020 in Cleveland, OH. Her
parents preceded her in death.
Her deep roots and strong bond to community, friends, and family traces
back to the south side of Chattanooga, TN. Her most treasured friendships
were formed here with Willie Bell & Shirley Rawls. Even after the family
moved north, she never forgot her commitment to the community that
raised her. She made it her mission to return each year to the annual South
Side Reunion.
Donella was in her early twenties when she moved to Cleveland, OH. Here
she became a regular member of the House of God Church, where her
mother began as a Deacon, rising through the ranks to become a Reverend.
During these years, her passion for cooking grew enormously. It was no
secret, all family and friends considered themselves lucky to be able to
celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other special moments with her. Donella
understood these special moments deserved good food, good music, with
good people.
It was also in Cleveland, where Donella met her husband Jeff “Bae”
Alexander Jr. They wed on November 25, 1980. In Jeff, Donella found a
special person who embraced life just as much as herself. He preceded her,
August 12, 2005.
Donella was known by those close to her as “Shotgun”. She simply made
things happen. It was very evident in her line of work, where her passion
to fight for service and care workers, who sometimes had little or no voice
at all rang the loudest. As a SEIU Local 47 Senior Union Steward, she
gave countless hours and hard work to help improve the workplace for her
beloved colleagues.
Donella is survived by and leaves beautiful memories to: her four children,
Tracy Horne, Felicia Moon, Charles Moon, and Yvette Mumphrey; six
grandchildren, Lekeicia Fernandez, Tycia Fernandez, Marcia Horne, Jelani
Mumphrey, Paige Horne, and Amir Mumphrey; six siblings, Louise Akins,
Henderson Grant, James Grant, William Sandridge, Joseph Sandridge, and
Annie Sandridge; a host of other relatives and friends. Her brother David
Sandridge precedes her in death.
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