Sandra Clayton/Frank Dies in Arizona at 80

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Category: Obituaries

Created on Friday, 14 June 2024 12:51

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Sandra (Sandi) Lee Clayton/Frank

The family of Sandra (Sandi) Lee Clayton/Frank regretfully shares that Sandi left them on March 14, in Yuma, Arizona, where she was living with her husband, Darrell.
Sandi was born on June 5, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Frank and Francis Clayton. Her dad was stationed in Alaska when World War  II ended, and she and her Mom joined Frank in Ketchikan. The family moved to Bethel when she was 6, and that was home for six years. They lived a year in Juneau, and two and a half years in Anchorage. They moved to Sitka/Mt. Edgecumbe in 1958, and that was home for her until 1980.
Sandi graduated from Sitka High in 1961, and was a cheerleader in her senior year. In 1963, she married Dick Sunde and had three children: Kristi, Stacey, and Rick.
While she lived in Sitka, Sandi worked for several doctors in the administrative field and in later years as a medical transcriptionist. She became very knowledgeable in medicine and was quick and eager to offer her medical opinion!
She and the children moved to Everett, Washington, where she worked for Everett Aviation for a time, and then for the Paine Field Airshow Coordination group.
Sandi loved her years working with the performance teams, including the Thunderbirds, the Blue Angels, the Canadian Snowbirds.
In 1989, she married Darrell Frank, a commercial airplane pilot, and began an amazing 35-year marriage that was filled with adventure.  One of their first big adventures brought them to Punta Arenas, Chile, where Darrell flew out to the icefields of Antarctica.  Sandi was able to join him on one of the flights.  She never tired of telling the story of living in Chile and spending time in Chile and playing with the penguins.  
In the early 1990s, Sandi and Darrell bought the Misty Dawn, a 38’ sailboat, which became their temporary home and where they learned the fundamentals of sailing. In 1990 and 1991 they ran a charter fishing operation out of Seward, where they had great times entertaining guests and catching lots of halibut!
Sandi was renowned for her homemade blueberry coffee cake she made for early morning fishing trips that seemed to bring all aboard great luck on the fishing lines.
In 1995, after their adventures on a diesel vessel in Alaska, they longed to be under sail again and they purchased the Black Swan, a 44’ sailboat. They spent time revamping it, and set off for Mexico, mainly in the Zihuatanejo area. For the next 5 years (they enjoyed) building memories, building life-long friendships and enjoying sailing adventures.
In 2000, they left Mexico and sailed to Hawaii. While there, they spent time visiting friends and family.  A short time later, they sailed on up to Sitka where they sold the boat and then moved up to Anchorage. They both went back to work for a while, Darrell flying and Sandi back in the medical field. One of their highlights while living there was sponsoring a young Japanese High School girl, Izumi. She lived with them for a year, and they became very close.  The following year, Sandi traveled to Japan for Izumi’s high school graduation where she was welcomed as part of their family.
After several winters of shoveling snow in Anchorage, Sandi and Darrell moved to warmer weather on the Big Island of Hawaii. They spent the next 10 years there relaxing, golfing (Darrell), snorkeling (Sandi), managing rentals, and entertaining lots of family and friends. 
In 2016, they moved back to the mainland and settled in Union, Washington, on the Hood Canal where they bought a home on a golf course and an RV which they traveled and lived in during the fall and winters. They really enjoyed the Yuma area during their RV escapades, and decided to sell the RV and buy a home there for the winters. In 2023, they sold the Union, Washington, home and moved to the desert full time to enjoy time with friends and family.
Sandi was blessed with a wonderful life filled with love, laughter, deep friendship and amazing adventures. All who knew her will spend hours talking of her greatest legacy – her love for people! She had a huge heart for folks.  She loved to help them, cook meals for them, and maybe even have a Scotch with them. Her family can’t say enough about Sandi’s love for others…and are grateful for the love that was returned.
 Sandi was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Fran Clayton and son Rick.
She is survived by husband Darrell Frank; brothers Steele Clayton and Billy Clayton; daughters Kristi (Debbie) Nichols and Stacey Sunde; stepdaughters Duree French, Dannie Egerton, Darcy Robbins, and Delicia McSweeney; grandchildren Angie (Shannon) O’Malley  and Sophia Sunde; nephew John Steele (Ksea) Clayton; nieces Cindy and Deanna Davis, Wendy (Peter) Wells, Emily Clayton, and Emily (Kat) Keith; and great- grandchild Cove O’Malley.

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