Sandra Lee Glorfield

9 August 1942 – 30 July 2025

Sandra Lee Glorfield, known lovingly to many as “Sandi,” passed away peacefully on 30 July 2025 in Houston, Texas, 10 days short of her 83rd birthday after a short illness.

Born on 9 August 1942 in Moline, Illinois, Sandi was the youngest child of Robert W. Glorfield and Vivan Green.

She was preceded in death by her siblings Sharon Lerner, Patricia Edson-Farley, Robert W. Glorfield Jr., and Gary Buell Glorfield, and by her beloved life partner, Lorene Pouncey.

She is survived by sister-in-law, Mary Sue Glorfield of Corpus Christi, 13 nieces and nephews, 23 great-nieces and great-nephews, 18 great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews, ten cousins, and hundreds of friends from all walks of life, each touched by her warmth, patience, and unwavering kindness.

Sandi graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas, and went on to study at Del Mar College and Victoria College. Her professional path was as diverse as her talents: assistant to the Registrar at Del Mar College, bartender at the Officers Club at Bergstrom Air Force Base, mobile home plumbing installer, class ring casting technician at Balfour, dorm counsellor at Devereux Behavioural Health, file clerk at Petroleum Information Corporation, girls’ dorm counsellor at the Annie Wright School in Tacoma, Washington, and telephone technician at the Hadrian Corporation. Eventually, she launched Executive Sweep, a successful residential and commercial cleaning company that she ran with integrity and care until retiring in 2007.

Sandi’s life was not without its challenges. She survived a harrowing fall through the ice of the Rock River at a very young age, rescued by her devoted dog, Pepper, and faced repeated battles with illness throughout her life. Remarkably, she underwent a total of 40 surgeries, and each time, she came through with courage, humour, and an unwillingness to give in. Her resilience became as much a part of her legacy as her compassion.

Sandi came out as a lesbian in 1975 and spent the rest of her life living openly, proudly, and lovingly. She was a cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ community in Houston, volunteering at the LGBT Switchboard and mentoring women through Brigid’s Hope, a programme supporting formerly incarcerated and homeless women over 35. She was a dedicated member of LOAF (Lesbians Over the Age of Fifty) and an enthusiastic supporter of women’s music. She opened her home in Olde Oaks for concerts by musicians from the National Women’s Music Festival, and for more than two decades, she hosted joyful Fourth of July and holiday celebrations that drew neighbours, family, and a wide circle of friends.

Her activism extended beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Sandi marched for civil rights in Austin, Texas, and supported the Catholic Worker Movement, embodying a lifelong commitment to justice and compassion. A proud and steadfast Democrat, she was a vocal advocate for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalised throughout her life.