Sandra Winsby Dowling

Sandra Winsby Dowling passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 31, 2014 after a short battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. She will be dearly missed by her husband Bill, children Laine (Mary), Patrick (Blanca) and Elisabeth (Morgan), and grandchildren Amanda, Maggie, Tre, Danny, PJ, Rhiannon and Liam.

Born in Alameda, California in 1941 to Milton and Betty Winsby, Sandi attended Alameda High School, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in early childhood education. While at Berkeley she met her husband, who was stationed at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Alameda. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last September. After spending several years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Sandi taught preschool and cared for their two sons, the family moved to Mercer Island in 1975.

Sandi dedicated her life to caring for children. She was a devoted mother to her three children, spending hours carpooling, attending PTA meetings, soccer, baseball and football games, track meets, ballet recitals, plays, concerts, and choir performances. There was always a home cooked dinner on the table at 6pm. Sandi was an active member of MIPC’s children’s ministries for many years, working with generations of children who fondly remember Sandi’s Sunday school classes and art projects as well as her kind and caring heart. She also taught parent-child education classes through Bellevue Community College.

Sandi was a talented seamstress who made amazing costumes for holiday and seasonal performances at MIPC, and dresses for her daughter and granddaughters. Sandi was also an accomplished artist and crafter who shared her gift, and her love for children, through artwork often displayed throughout the hallways at MIPC. She was a supporter of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and a member of P.E.O. International.

The Dowling Family would like to extend our deep gratitude to the many people who provided their love and support during the last few months of Sandi’s life. A celebration of Sandi’s life, with a reception to follow, will be held at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 1pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the ALS Association: www.alsa.org.