Mary "Pippy" Gaylord Sanders

Mary “Pippy” Gaylord Sanders, 86, passed away on June 28, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born on June 5, 1940, in New Orleans, she was the daughter of Howard Gaylord Sanders and Antha Adkins Pierre. After her mother’s untimely death, Pippy and her siblings, Antha Ann Sanders and Howard Sanders, were adopted by their aunt and uncle, Mazie and Dr. Edwin R. Guidry, who raised them alongside their daughter, Mary Carroll “Rooley” Guidry.

She was preceded in death by her birth parents, Antha Adkins Pierre and Howard Gaylord Sanders; her adoptive parents, Mazie Guidry and Dr. Edwin R. Guidry; her sister, Mary Carroll “Rooley” Guidry ; her grandchildren, Michael Anthony Brandon and Big E Brandon; and her nephews, Eddie “Little Eddie” Sanders and Kurt Anthony Hugel.

Pippy is survived by her son, Miles Brandon (Lisamarie); her siblings, Howard Sanders (Rita) of Arlington, Texas, and Antha Ann Hugel of New Orleans; her nieces, Lori Meo, Robin Curtis (Ralph) of Arlington, Texas, and Nicole Todd of Magnolia, Mississippi; her nephews, Dieter Michael Hugel Sr. (Anna) of New Orleans and Mark Alexander Hugel (Rachel) of Dallas, Texas; and her beloved companion, Weezie Ana Brandon of Kingwood, Texas.

Pippy graduated from Alcee Fortier High School and St. Mary’s Dominican College with a degree in foreign language. Her career included advertising work at D. H. Holmes Car Care and administrative work at Black Gold Marine. Pippy found a strong family of faith at St. Joseph Church, where she dedicated herself to living out the teachings of Jesus. For more than sixteen years, she worked tirelessly in service to the parish. She participated in the Marian Fidelity Group and served as a Eucharistic Minister at Sunday Mass. During the week, she looked forward to working with the Lantern Light - Feed Jesus Program, which served the growing homeless population around the church. In 2014, Pippy received the Archdiocese of New Orleans Saint Louis Medallion Award. She was also proud to be a benefactor of the renovation of St. Joseph’s Chapel.

The family would like to thank Ms. Donna Douscher of Our Lady of Prompt Succor for bringing Communion to Pippy every Monday morning. They would also like to thank Passages Hospice and their nurses for giving care to Pippy with passion. We are also grateful to all Pippy’s caregivers, Annie Harris, Laura Lynn Gilman, Cheryl d’Hemecourt, and Mari Lynn Kraemer for the love and care they gave her over the years. A special thanks goes to Lisamarie for taking care of Pippy, being her advocate, and changing her life to meet her care needs over the years. All the caregivers followed Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral service on Friday, July 3, 2026, at St. Joseph Church, 1802 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, LA. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. with a funeral Mass to begin at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Metairie Cemetery.