Sandra Lee Penrod, or "Sandy" as you may know her, 79, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, peacefully took her last breath on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Her family and many friends were able to say their farewells, and a loved one held her hand the entire time as she crossed over to the world of our Lord.
Sandy was born June 16, 1942, to Bertha Elizabeth Padgett-Mills and Madison Mills in Washington, DC. Her first marriage, to Franklin Pouncey, resulted in her three adored children and a move down to her beloved Fort Walton Beach. Sandy never met a stranger, and she rarely missed a movie on the big screen--Diet Coke in hand, of course. She immensely enjoyed her time working for Home Depot, but her passion--her life's work--was her involvement with Alcoholics Anonymous. This is where she met and married her true love, Oliver "Ollie" Penrod. Beyond her own joy found, she spent nearly four decades inspiring, and even saving, others who were ready to conquer their own addictions. Everyone loved and respected Sandy, just as she loved and respected all. It was so real, it was almost tangible.
Sandy is survived by daughters, Susan Botelho and Karen Kurth (Scott); son, Christopher Pouncey (Heather); grandchildren, Ashley Botelho, JJ Botelho (Asha), Andrea Kurth (Richard), Tanner Johnson (Margot), Mason Pouncey, and Finley Pouncey; great-grandchildren, Joplin Botelho-Wade, Greta Jones, TJ Johnson, twins - Harper and Adleigh Botelho, and on-the-way Baby Johnson; plus an endless list of amazing friends that, truly, were more like chosen family.
Sandy is preceded in death by her husbands, Frank Pouncey and Oliver "Ollie" Penrod; her parents, and many dear friends who were, likely, all waiting excitedly to welcome her at the Pearly Gates.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at Davis-Watkins Funeral Home at 113 Racetrack Road, NE, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547, beginning at 3:00 p.m, and a memorial service will begin directly afterward at 4:00 p.m. at the same location. Sandy has asked that her ashes be spread in the waters of the Destin Pass. Arrangements for such a lovely event will be announced at a later date.
The family will welcome friends for fellowship and light snacks immediately after the service at The Place on Beal located at 100 Beal Parkway, NW, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Sandy's memory by making a donation in her name to the American Heart Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or the Fisher House Foundation.
Grief will inevitably find you as this community mourns the loss of such a great woman, and that's okay. But please try to cherish and celebrate Sandy by remembering her own favorite words: This, too, shall pass.