January 27, 1948 – January 20, 2024
Sandra Doran Grove departed this life on January 20, 2024, but remains with us in cherished memories. Sandra, known to her friends and family as Sandie, was born in Norwalk, Ohio on January 27, 1948 to Doris and James Doran. Sandie lived in Ohio and Pennsylvania before moving to Dallas, Texas. There she attended Hill Junior High before graduating from Bryan Adams High in 1966. Sandie went on to the University of North Texas (then known as North Texas State University or NTSU) in Denton. It was there she met her future husband, James Paul Grove IV (Jim), in the fall of 1968 in an early morning history class. Their first date was a bit nerve-wracking when she found herself at a remote airstrip for a night-time flight in a small plane! Even though their date turned out to be a success, they lost touch. But shortly after Jim’s graduation and induction into the Army the next year, he happened to stop by the NTSU Student Union, and in a moment of kismet, he saw Sandie there. They were together from that moment on. After Sandie’s graduation and a teaching job in Pittsburgh (and Jim’s return from Vietnam), they were married in June, 1971.
Army assignments took them to Indianapolis and then to Italy, where Sandie was a leader of the officers’ wives. They then put down roots in Austin, Texas, where Sandie became the Traffic Manager for the local public TV station while Jim attended the University of Texas Law School. They welcomed their daughter, Mara, in 1983. Sandie relished being a mom and was closely involved in Mara’s school and after-school activities. This often involved creating costumes for Mara’s many drama productions. In 2001, Sandie and Jim moved to Friendswood, Texas.
Sandie loved to be creative – some of her favorite activities over the years included quilting, sewing and most recently, knitting. She also was an avid reader. She enjoyed traveling abroad with friends and family, and last summer returned to Paris to recreate a photo taken 50 years earlier with the Mona Lisa. Above all, Sandie was a woman of strong faith, which sustained her through many challenges.
Sandie is survived by her husband Jim, her daughter Mara Shoaf and son-in-law Tyler Shoaf and granddaughter Riley. She will also be missed by a number of cousins, aunts and other relatives across the country.
