Sandra Sue Stanton (Johnson), age 81, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family in Kenedy, Texas, on September 11, 2026. Sandra was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on December 15, 1944, to Maurice and Alice Johnson.

To so many people, she wasn’t simply Sandra. She was Grammie. And being Grammie was one of the greatest joys of her life.

For 30 years, Sandra was a homemaking teacher, sharing her love of baking, sewing, crafts, and all the little things that made a house feel like a home. She also dedicated countless hours to the county stock show, serving on many boards, judging cakes, and helping young people with their crafts and projects. Even after retiring, she never really stopped teaching. She continued to share her talents with young people, teaching them how to bake, sew, crochet, and create.

She had a gift for making people feel capable. If Sandra knew how to do something, she was more than happy to teach you. And if you didn’t know how to do it yet, she had the patience to show you.

Sandra also had a special love for snowmen. Her collection brought her endless joy, and those cheerful little figures became a reflection of Sandra herself—warm, happy, welcoming, and able to bring a smile to the people around her.

But perhaps Sandra’s greatest gift was the love she gave to children.

For more than 20 years, she opened her home and her heart to countless kids. She cared for her own grandchildren, coaches’ kids, family friends and so many others who found their way through her door. Her home became a place where children knew they were safe, cared for, and loved.

She had so much love to give, and that love stayed with those kids long after they started school and grew up. Sandra never forgot them. She remembered their names, their stories, and the little things that made each one special.

And nothing could beat Grammie’s House. It was the best place to be.

Maybe it was because Grammie always had something good to eat. Maybe it was because there was always something to do. Or maybe it was because she let all of us get away with a little more than she probably should have.

But the real reason Grammie’s House was the best was simple: there was so much love there.

Sandra made people feel at home. She made people feel important. She made people feel loved. And for so many children, grandchildren, friends, and family members, her home will forever be one of the places where some of their happiest memories were made.

Sandra is preceded in death by her father, Maurice; her mother, Alice; her brother, Larry; her husband, D.E. Stanton; and various aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She leaves behind a family who will carry her love and her memories with them always: her daughters, Debbie Portwood and Alicia Wieding (Ronnie); her six grandchildren, Cameron (Cassidy) Portwood, Kiley (Noah) Harris, Chase Portwood, Ryland Wieding, Claire Portwood, and Allie Wieding; and her two great-grandchildren, Casen Portwood and Carsyn Portwood.

Her family will remember her for her kindness, her creativity, her sense of humor, her love of children, her snowmen, her willingness to teach, and most of all, the love she so freely gave.

Sandra spent her life making a home for others.

And wherever her family goes from here, a little piece of Grammie’s House will go with them.

Her faith in God was a deeply cherished part of her life. She attended Sunday Services at Pawnee Methodist and found strength, comfort, and peace in her faith and carried it with her through every season of life. Her love for God and her trust in His promise of eternal life remained steadfast until the end. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pawnee Methodist Church.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Eckols Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, also at Eckols Funeral Home. Interment followed at the Pawnee cemetery in Pawnee, Texas.

Pallbearers are Cameron Portwood, Chase Portwood, Ryland Wieding, Noah Harris, Jimmy Krause, and Buster Krause.

Honorary pallbearers are Kiley Harris, Claire Portwood, Allie Wieding, Cassidy Portwood, and Casen Portwood as well as the many many kids that loved Grammie just as much as she loved them.