Sandra Berry

Sandy was born in Kermit, TX on June 19, 1942, to Wilbur “Pop” Stuart and Marjorie Strickland Stuart. She spent her early years as an “itinerant” student as the family moved about every 3 months because of her father’s work on a natural gas pipeline. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona were called home. When she was around 10 years old, her father’s job became more permanent and they moved to El Paso where, for the first time in her life, she attended school for more than just a few months. Following her time at Ascarate Elementary School, she attended Ysleta High School, graduating in three years near the top of her class. The year was 1959 and she was only 16 years old.

In 1961 she married Harry Fanning, with whom she had one son, Christopher. They later divorced. In 1964 she married Robert Barajas, Jr and they had two sons, Andre and Gaston. During her 15-year marriage to Robert, she earned two degrees from UTEP (B.A. in Chemistry and M. Ed. In Counseling and Guidance} plus acquired 46 semester hours of post-graduate work. Her teaching experiences included Galveston Independent Schools (7th and 8th Grade Math) at St Joseph Elementary School in El Paso, TX, where she both taught and counseled students. She was also a part-time instructor at El Paso Community College for one year and was a Field Experience Officer at UTEP. Unfortunately, Robert died in 1979 of complications from Lupus.

In 1980, Sandy packed up a U-Haul truck and moved her family to Sheridan, WY where she was interested in purchasing a bookstore. However, when that undertaking didn’t pan out, she was hired by SCSD#2 as an Educational Diagnostician/School Psychologist, a job she not only excelled at but loved doing as well. In 1982, she agreed to take on a most challenging endeavor when Michael Berry asked her to join him in the adventure of a lifetime. Together they built a home in Big Horn and raised a family. 1993 saw Sandy and Michael pull up roots and move to Texas, where they built another home in Johnson City and settled into a routine of being grandparents and host and hostess to many family gatherings. Both Sandy and Michael worked for a short time as Claims Reviewers for the IRS. In 2000, the call of the wild beckoned again, and the two moved to Gabiola Island in British Columbia, building another home. There, Sandy would pursue activities such as Creative Writing classes and water coloring and making close and lasting friendships.

A phone call in the late summer of 2007 from their son, Gaston, set into motion yet another unforeseen adventure. We ended up sharing a house with Gaston and their family while he pursued a career with Microsoft. After seven years of multi-generational living and with grandkids moving out, Sandy and Michael moved to Medanales, NM building a home there. That adventure was short-lived as isolation and lack of good medical care spurred a move back to the Pacific Northwest to the quaint little town of Port Townsend, WA. Sandy and Michael lived there until health issues and long travel times necessitated their move to Redmond, WA to a 55+ community.

Sandy was predeceased by her parents, husband Robert Barajas, Jr., two half-brothers (Leon and Don Stuart), son Christopher, and granddaughter, Christie.

Surviving her are her husband Michael, sons Andre’ (Rose) and Gaston (Stephanie) Barajas, daughter-in-law Berta Barajas, “bonus” sons Scott (Tommie) and Tom (Ann) Berry, grandchildren Margaret (James), Sarah (Jared), Teresa (Will), Mads, Andrea, Michael (Stacia), Daniel (Kelsi), Sierra (Darryl), Terra, Josh (Destany), Jaime, Taylor (Paul), Elizabeth and Katie. She also had 5 great-grandchildren with a sixth on its way.

As per her request, cremation has occurred, and no services are planned.