Sandra Delores MacFadden

Sandra Delores Varnedoe MacFadden was born in Jacksonville, Florida on January 13, 1942. According to her mother she was late in arriving because the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor the previous month and she didn’t want to come into the world yet. She graduated in 1959 from Englewood High School (Go Rams!). She married soon after to John Berry MacFadden whom had just discharged from the Air Force in 1960. They lived in Jacksonville for most of their married life and had four children. They lost a son to a drunk driver in 1978. They divorced soon after while she was living in Oakland, Florida. After returning to Jacksonville, she and her family moved into Mandarin, her only second home that she was buying and not renting. For the next 30 years her children grew-up and had children of their own. For the last 10 years she began selling her crocheted creations at festivals and online. She and her oldest daughter, who took early retirement, sold, gave away or stored the rest of their belongings, bought an old RV and began traveling around the state of Florida in 2012. They visited and sometimes volunteer workamped in about 20 different Florida State, Federal and County Parks before the old RV gave out on them in 2019. She died November 21, 2021, in Haven Hospice Lake City, Florida after suffering a stroke that she was unable to recover from.

Sandra had several jobs during her lifetime including as a photo processor, working in a commercial greenhouse in Central Florida, driving Toyota trucks and cars at the docks on Talleyrand Avenue with J.M. Family Enterprises retired as a supervisor. Not quite done yet she became a secretary for the State of Florida-Juvenile Justice Department to assist their investigators and run the office in Jacksonville. Sometime between all that her daughter talked her into going back to school to pursue a college degree. However, Algebra and the professor who only showed movies during class was her undoing. Sandra did love to read, mostly mysteries and historical fiction; loved various types of blues and rock music and to dance; and loved to crochet a wide variety of things that she gave away to her family. She also loved to travel. It did not matter where but historical sites, old buildings, archeology digs were all fascinating to her.

Sandra currently has 3 grown children, Jolene MacFadden, Obrien, Florida; Anthony MacFadden (Shaulowee), Obrien, Florida; and Carla Ring (Milton), Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother Virginia Varnedoe, Fernandina Beach, Florida; her brother Harold Oliver Varnedoe Jr. (Linda), Fernandina Beach, Florida; her sister Sherry Conway, Lochbuie, Colorado; and another sister Lisa Rowell, Seward Alaska. There are 8 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her father, Harold Oliver Varnedoe Sr (1983), her brother, Craig Anderson Varnedoe (2013) and son, John Berry MacFadden, Jr. (1978).

Although Sandra loved flowers in all colors and in all varieties the family will not be having a viewing or a service. They are going to have a Remembrance party in April 2022 at the North Jetties in Jacksonville (her favorite place). More details will be announced to the family and friends wishing to come on her Facebook page. Any flowers, wreaths, etc., you would like to purchase, her children and she would prefer that you spend that money on one of your favorite charities in her name OR to her party fund that will be posted on her Facebook page as well. There will be fishing, music, dancing, food, swimming and more than likely camping on the beach. All the activities that she loved the most.

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