Sandra Marie Avery

Sandra Marie Jones Avery, 69, of Hartford, Michigan passed away on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. She was being comforted loved ones at Rose Arbor in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the time of her passing.

Sandra was born October 2, 1943 in Washington, D.C. at Freedman's Hospital, a hospital established in 1862 to cater to the medical needs of African-Americans who fled north to Washington, D.C. in search of freedom. She was the fifth of eight children born to William Gilbert Jones & Esther Marie (Hill) Jones.

She spent her early childhood in Washington, D.C. before moving with her family to Hartford, Michigan to grow up in a quiet, midwestern town. She graduated from L.C. Mohr High School in South Haven in 1963. Classmates and teachers described her as "A girl with a purpose in life." Despite persistent barriers to African-Americans and women in education, she graduated a Registered Nurse from Lake Michigan College, earned a Critical Care Nursing Certificate from University of Michigan and obtained an Associate Degree in Business Management from Southwestern Community College.

Foremost, she was a devoted mother to her two daughters, Sheanetta and Bernetta. She enjoyed each stage of their development from mud pies and tea parties to climbing trees and catching fireflies. Through example, she taught her daughters the importance of hard work, obtaining a good education and using both in service to others. In preparing them for the world, she taught them to manage racial and gender injustice with grace and fortitude. She encouraged them to be critical thinkers, even when doing so challenged the status quo.

Her career spanned 36 years in Obstetrics and Critical Care nursing at Watervliet and South Haven Community Hospitals. She was the first African-American to serve as the Interim Director of Nursing at Watervliet Community Hospital. In 1984, she took a brief hiatus from clinical nursing to serve as the Director of Immigration and Legalization for the Diocese of Kalamazoo. After completing that appointment, she returned to clinical nursing for another decade before finally retiring in 1998.

She advocated tirelessly on behalf of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. For 28 years, she served on the Board of Directors for MARCHA, now known as InterCare. From 1983 to 1997, Sandra served as charter President of Rural Initiatives for Shelter and Education (RISE). Her tenure spanned the early years of development and construction of SunRISE apartments, which was a housing development of winterized apartments that raised the bar for safe and affordable housing for seasonal workers and their families.

In recognition of her influential work in migrant health, she was appointed to the Council to Federal Office of Migrant Health by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Patricia Harris. Later, she was appointed to the Governor's Health Council for the State of Michigan. She was an active member of National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), National League of Nurses, American Nurses Association, Michigan Primary Care Association and Michigan Nurses Association.

She was a long-standing member of the Immaculate Conception Church in Hartford, Michigan, where she served on the Altar and Rosary Society, Catholic Religious Education Council and Migrant Outreach Ministry. Her hobbies included reading, Amish quilting, canning and gardening. She was an avid supporter of the Hartford High School Marching Band, servings as the band nurse and the much-loved band "mother."

She is survived by her two daughters Sheanetta M. Jones of Burlington, N.C., and Dr. Bernetta L. Avery-DeNyse and son-in-law Gavin J. DeNyse both of Portland, Oregon; her grandchildren: Aaron C. Avery and Chyenne A. Clements of Burlington, N.C., and Jameson R. DeNyse and Sophia L. DeNyse of Portland, Oregon. She is also survived by her sister, Diedre L. Stuart of Dallas, Texas; twin brothers, Bertram T. Jones of Hartford, Mich., and Vernon O. Jones of Ponchatoula, La; daughter-in-law Sharon Avery Overhiser of South Haven, Mich.; 22 nieces and nephews; an additional 13 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 25 years Charles M. Avery, her four oldest siblings and a grandchild.

A funeral mass will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at Immaculate Conception Church in Hartford, Michigan with Father Robert Flickinger presiding. A reception will be held at the church hall following the mass.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Sandra M. Avery Memorial Scholarship Fund, a scholarship established to support young women from southwest Michigan who demonstrate compassion, good character and the desire to serve in a nursing career focused on migrant and farmworker health. Donations can be sent to 3225 SW 87th Avenue, #25509, Portland, Oregon, 97298-0842.

Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so on our web site at http://www.calvin-leonardfh.com.