Janis Marie Sandhop

March 28, 1935 - November 11, 2023

Janis Marie Sandhop of Lynnwood, WA, age 88, passed away unexpectedly November 11, 2023.

Janis was born March 28, 1935, in Oxford, Arkansas, to Paul Eugene Rowden and Hazel Jeanette Singleton. When Janis was 4 years old, she moved with her mother and stepfather Onice “Red” Sears to Wenatchee, WA, where she soon passed countless summer afternoons nestled under trees, reading book after book. In 1953, she graduated from Wenatchee High School.

Janis married Herb Sandhop in 1953 and had four children. The family relocated to the Seattle area in 1959 as Herb advanced his career with the Great Northern Railway. They purchased a home in Lynnwood within two years and resided there together until Herb’s passing in 2021.

After her youngest child entered school in the mid 1960s, Janis began her long career in the petrochemical industry, starting with Standard Oil Company as a Data Entry Operator. In 1997, she retired from Time Oil Company as Data Processing Manager. During that time, she also volunteered for the Cascade Federal Credit Union, later becoming the chairperson for the board of directors while building a reputation as a consensus builder.

When Herb retired in 1998, they began traveling. They road-tripped to National Parks and the Hot August Nights Car Show in Reno, often making detours to visit friends and relatives. They even boarded a few cruise ships, floating through landscapes as diverse as the Panama Canal and Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Endlessly curious, Janis read a wide-ranging mix of magazines, novels, and non-fiction. Her sharp memory was paired with a genuine openness that made her a delightful conversationalist. She’d often strike chit-chat with strangers, with both parties seeming enriched from their gentle interaction.

Whether walking the Edmonds Waterfront with friends or watching her great-grandchildren wobble with their first steps, Janis valued her relationships. In those everyday moments, she spotted joy. She listened. She knew what to say. Janis could reorient your path before you realized you’d gone adrift. Her effortless kindness was a gift we still carry.

Janis leaves behind her children, Debbie Case (Ken), John, Susan McTee (Greg), and Douglas; grandchildren, Kenneth Case Jr., David Case (Felisha), Michael McTee (Bridgette); great-grandchildren, Abigail and Asher Case and Norman McTee; and half siblings, Jo Etta Alwood, Paula Clark, and Judy Armstrong.

A service is planned for 12pm on January 8, 2024, at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, followed by a reception at the family home.

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