Tahlequah, OK - Sandra was born on March 10th, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, and was adopted by Jim and Eva Norris. As the daughter of a career Air Force father who served for more than 30 years, she learned early how to adapt, relocate, and make anywhere feel like home. Her childhood stops included Spokane, Washington; Wisconsin; Portland, Maine; Wheeler Air Force Base in Honolulu; and even a two-year assignment in Japan. Among her prized possessions were authentic wooden shoes handmade by local mothers overseas — proof that she was international long before it was trendy.

Around age 15, her family settled in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she attended Tahlequah High School before enrolling at Northeastern State University. She earned two degrees from NSU — one in Economics and one in Education. Numbers came naturally to her, but so did teaching.

Sandra spent nearly her entire career at Job Corps, where she showed up year after year ready to teach, correct, calculate, and occasionally outwit anyone who underestimated her.

She loved antiquing, reconnecting with friends from high school, and playing cards. To say she was good at cards would be an understatement. She had the kind of brain that quietly calculated odds while carrying on a full conversation.

She appreciated a good joke and delivered plenty of her own. She frequently reminded her daughters that they were "paying for their raising," a phrase she used with perfect timing and zero hesitation.

Her grandchildren — Kooper, Lydia, Grant, and Reece — were her favorite humans and audience.

Sandra lived a life that covered continents, classrooms, card tables, and antique stores.

She is survived by her daughter Jenny (Sachs) and her husband Jason, and children Grant and Reece; and her daughter Abby (Keys) and her husband Tedo, and children Kooper and Lydia. Her Aunt Natalie Owens of Fort Worth, TX and her two favorite cousins, Jennifer and Jesse Owens, also of Fort Worth, Texas

Sandra was preceded in death by her mother, Eva Norris and her beloved father, Jim Norris.

A Memorial Service will be held at Green Country Funeral Home on Friday, February 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM.