Sally Standiford

Sally Standiford passed away peacefully surrounded by her family in the mid morning of June 26, 2021. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, John, her parents Nola and Herman Magruder, and her sister, Barbara Dillon. Thank you to the wonderful staff at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha of Med Surg 5 for their compassionate and outstanding care during her stay.

Sally was born in Louisville, KY on August 23, 1941 to Herman and Nola Magruder. She had one sister who preceded her in death, Barbara (Gillis) Dillon. She had two children, Holly (Jason) Jones, of Pleasant Prairie, and a son, Charlie (Angie) Standiford of Hopkinsville, KY. She had 3 grandchildren, Brandon Jones and Jacob Jones (Pleasant Prairie), and Victoria Meacham (Hopkinsville, KY). She also had one great grandchild, Hayden Meacham.

Sally was born in Louisville, KY, and grew up on post at Fort Knox, KY. She was educated at Fort Knox schools, and upon graduation, attended Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Education, and was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. Moving to Kenosha in 1963, she began her 34 year teaching career at Weiskopf School, later transferring to Curtis Strange Elementary, where she retired in 1996. She was named to the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1970. During this time, she earned two Master’s degrees in education from UW Milwaukee. She earned the Perfect Attendance award numerous times, as well as the Distinguished Service award. She taught thousands of students during her career in grades 1-5.

During her life, she was a servant of others, a devout Christian, and a member of First United Methodist church, where she served on several committees. She also went on several mission trips with the youth groups to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. She served as President of the Kenosha Area Soccer League, was State and Local President for Association of Childhood Education International. She was a member of Kenosha County Home and Community Education (HCE), Kenosha County Retired Educators, the MAFKAH (Mothers Away From Kids And Husbands), and received the 2015 Wisconsin Retired Educators Association Volunteer of the Year award.

Sally was an avid reader, loved her family, loved her friends, and loved to serve. She came to be a sports “fan” due to her husband and son’s love of sports. She was proud of her son, Charlie, as he followed in her footsteps into education for 26+ years. She was so proud when her daughter, Holly, became a nurse, following in the footsteps of her Grandmother Nola, and Sally’s sister, Barbara. She was so proud her children found great spouses, and she modeled for her children true love in marriage. She was so proud of her grandsons Brandon and Jacob as they continued their education toward their dreams. And was so proud of her granddaughter, Tori, on earning her Bachelor’s degree. She was the model of love, service, and education.

She was an excellent baker, with her famous Fart Blossoms (peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s kiss), banana bread, and brownies as legendary crowd favorites. She loved her church, and her church family. Sally was one of the kindest souls a person could ever have met. Teaching 34 years, she impacted so many lives across multiple generations. So often she would be met by former students who could remember words of encouragement she gave them so long ago. She was mom to so many, Grandma to so many, and friend to all. “Don’t mourn the loss of my body, remember our laughter and I will live forever.”