Obituary of Sandra Worrell

No Visitation is planned Sandra Brodine Worrell, a longtime Olympia resident, passed away on March 22nd, 2010, after a battle with cancer. She was 65.Sandra was born February 25, 1945, in Palo Alto, California to Warner and Emma Brodine. She grew up in Redwood City with her older sister Carol and younger siblings Nancy and Jerry in a home built by their father. These were formative years where she learned about the bond of family and began lifelong friendships. This is also when she learned to sew with her mother, making many of her own clothes. She was often known to be feverishly finishing up a dress just as her date arrived! Sandra married Gary Worrell in 1965 at the age of 20, and moved across country to Nashville where she completed her teaching degree from Vanderbilt University. In 1966, they moved to Germany where Gary was stationed as an officer in the Army. While there, Sandra taught American public school and discovered her passion for travel, language and new experiences. After returning to the U.S. in 1970, they settled in Maryland and welcomed the birth of their first child, Brandon Lee. From there they spent time in Phoenix, Ariz., Roanoke, Va., and West Texas before landing in Alabama in 1972, where Sandra gave birth to their second child, Lisa Marie. In subsequent years, the family moved back to Tennessee, on to DeKalb, Ill., McMinnville, Ore., and finally settled in Olympia, Washington, in 1983. Sandra was a devoted mother, daughter, and sister, and a caring friend who built many lasting relationships due to her empathetic and generous nature. She was also a successful businesswoman, eventually starting her own bookkeeping business which she managed over the last decade of her life. One of her greatest wishes was to be a grandmother, and in 2007 her daughter Lisa gave birth to twin boys, Emmett Robin and Jules Mercer. The boys were truly two of the brightest stars of her life, and they loved their “Daboo.” In the months before she became ill, Sandra met a truly special man in Bill and they enjoyed trips around Puget Sound together in his boat, Honu Kai. After she was diagnosed with cancer in August 2009, Bill and many of her friends and family spent countless hours at her bedside giving comfort and advocating for her care. During her illness, she continued to demonstrate her strength, bravery, and grace, cracking jokes to lighten the mood even in the most difficult of times. She was a light in all our lives and leaves a void that will not be replaced. She is survived by her son, Brandon Worrell, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Winfree, of Salt Lake City, UT; daughter Lisa Worrell, and son-in-law Charles Bert, and grandsons Emmett and Jules Bert-Worrell of Olympia, WA; sister Carol Brodine of Olympia, WA; brother Jerry Brodine, and sister-in-law Pam Brodine, of Las Vegas, NV; and “second son” Robert Bugles of Seattle, WA. You may leave memories and condolences by clicking on "View Guestbook" below.