Sandra “Sandy” Amelia Satterfield, the eldest child of Vivian Marie (nee Satterfield) Virden and Herman Thomas Crutchfield, Jr. (both deceased), was born on February 28, 1946. She has ten other siblings: William “Bill” Satterfield, Thomas Eugene “Butch” Corley (deceased), Francine Barnes, Rhonda Crutchfield, Herman Anthony “Tony” Crutchfield, William Lynn “Lenny” Crutchfield (deceased), Donna Smith, Gail Bradley, Tina Crutchfield-Williams and Herman “Allen” Crutchfield. As the oldest, Sandy was often called on to take care of her siblings, whether it be cooking, cleaning, babysitting or standing up for them when fights with other kids in the neighborhood came about; as was often the case, especially when “Lenny” was instigating that his big sister could “take’em all on!”

Raised in a strong, black, Catholic family of Choctaw heritage, Sandra was one of the many great-grandchildren of Andrew “Snap” & Annie Amelia “Minnie” Smith, who helped with others in the community to establish, St. Adalbert Catholic Church. It was one of the first black Catholic churches in Cleveland. It is there she received communion and confirmation and confessed Jesus Christ as her savior at an early age. She attended Catholic school as did most of her family and friends.

When Sandy was around 12 years old, her mother, Vivian married, Pervis “Big Billy” Virden, Jr. He helped raise Sandy, Billy and Donna. Sandy grew up in the E. 79th and Chamberlin area. She became friends with Bonnie Price who lived on her street and was watched over (along with all the other kids in the neighborhood) by Sandy’s grandmother, Ms. Mattie. Sandra attended Patrick Henry Elementary School and later went on to graduate from John Hay High School in 1964.

It was during her high school years that she became connected to The Warr Family, when her older cousin, Loretta, met and married Lowell Warr. As an unrepentant romantic, Sandy became enamored with this huge, loving family of 12 sisters and brothers that reminded her of the musical movie: “7 Brides for 7 Brothers”. Soon she was swept up by the gorgeous, William “Willie” Jefferson Warr, Sr. (Lowell’s brother). She said she “never met another man like him” and she then became Sandra Warr.

On the day after her 20th birthday, Sandra and William were blessed with their 1st child, William Alan. A week after her 21st birthday, they were blessed again with their 2nd son, Gregory Deyon. After a few years, the couple had their 3rd child, Delena Marie. Her children were truly her pride and joy! Then suddenly, only 2 months later, Willie, the Love of her life, passed away and Sandy found herself a 25 year young, widowed, mother of 3.

Gaining knowledge was a cornerstone of her life and after her husband’s death, when she became depressed, despondent and confused about how and what everyone was telling her she needed to do in order to be a “good” mother; she went and looked it up for herself. She said she concluded from her own research that a mother is “…the female parent that teaches the offspring how to survive in the world or environment in which they will live.” So, that’s exactly what she set her mind to do. She taught her children, everything she knew how to do:

COOK, CLEAN, SHOP, PACK, SEW, IRON, FOLLOW A RECIPE, MAKE A WEEKLY MENU, CARE FOR KIDS & ELDERS, WRITE & RESEARCH A REPORT, READ MAPS & BUS SCHEDULES, FIND YOUR FAMILY (esp. in the white pages phonebook), BEHAVE, DRESS APPROPRIATELY AND HOW TO PROTECT WHAT THEY VALUE

…and if she wasn’t sure how to do it, she’d tell them “Go look it up” in the trusty World Book Encyclopedia and Unabridged Dictionary set that was the jewel of her “library”. Sandra didn’t just do that for HER children. She did it for her brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and anybody else who dared to have her watch over their kids (from which many an interesting family story has come)! There also aren’t many children in our family, to whom she didn’t sing the Jiminy Cricket’s song: “Encyclopedia… E-N-C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-D-I-A!”

She was always so very proud of her family! Our tenacity, endurance, resistance and superior aptitudes always brought joy to her heart and some boasting too! You could often hear talking about her paternal grandmother, Rose Burton,“Nanny”, who was a Fuller Brush Company Regional Manager; Vivian Virden, her mother, who was a corsetiere, expert seamstress, manager and charter member of Sisters Manufacturing. Her brother, Bill’s knowledge of all things “housing”; her sister, Donna’s exceptional gifts in modeling, art, photography, dance and plantscaping; her baby sister, Tina’s love of family making sure to keep everyone connected; all of her Crutchfield siblings for their “swag”; her brother-in-law, Fred for always answering the call; her sister-in-law, Veronica’s optimism, sparkling smile and sewing mastery; her sister-in-law/cousin, Loretta’s eye for a quality piece of clothing – seeing missed stitches & details from across the room! She always was bursting with pride about her children: Alan for being a man of action (since the age of 5); Greg for being able to fix just about anything with moving parts and Delena for her many designing & artistic gifts! And her heart didn’t have enough room to contain the pure love she felt upon seeing pictures of or being with her grand and great-grandchildren! And although, she held many jobs over the course of her life, her own positions at NASA Glenn Research Center and Cuyahoga Community College/Tri-C were her most treasured. It was on the latter job that her supervisor “heavily encouraged” her “to please complete any requirements” that would allow her to finally receive an associate’s degree. So, after many a year of life studies in medical terminology, creative writing, computers, sociology, black history studies and accounting; Sandra Warr received her Associates Degree in Business Administration, which was a major personal accomplishment in her life.

You never had to guess what Sandy was thinking. She would tell it as she saw it… and whatever you might have missed verbally, her big brown eyes said the rest! Sandy was very photogenic. She loved life, being with her family, taking photos, travelling, listening to music: jazz and R&B, hand dancing, regaling funny family stories, trash-talking and playing Bid Whist. She had many an “adventure” at the King Tutt lounge on Kinsman Avenue throughout the years and most recently became a beloved member of the Red Hatter’s Crimson Ladies. Even after having a stroke, she continued to travel and attend events with family and friends.

Sandra was a beautiful, brash, social butterfly, fearless, progressive thinker, teacher, life-long learner and true believer. She believed in finding your faith, holding onto it with everything and standing your ground no matter what, because in the end… all you ever have is yourself and GOD.

On June 1st, 2024, after a 6 month struggle to reclaim her vibrancy, our angel, Sandra Amelia Warr gained her heavenly wings. She leaves to mourn her passing her 3 Devoted

Children: William Alan Warr, Gregory Deyon Warr and Delena Marie Warr (Byron Waldorf, Partner); Loving Grandchildren: Theresa, Brandi, Blair, Bryant, Quinsaiah, Malik and Myka; and Beloved Great-grandchildren: Brielle, Kyree, Uzziah, Tayvion, Messiah, Serenity, and Spencer; Treasured Siblings: William “Bill” Satterfield; Thomas Eugene “Butch” Corley (deceased); Francine Barnes; Rhonda Crutchfield & Herman Anthony “Tony” Crutchfield (both of Los Angeles, CA); William Lynn “Lenny” Crutchfield (deceased); Donna Smith (Richard, Sr.); Gail Bradley (Eugene, deceased); Tina Crutchfield-Williams (Emery); and Herman “Allen” Crutchfield; Special Cousin & Sister-In-Law: Loretta Warr (Lowell, deceased); Cherished Cousin: Sheri Carter (Knoxville, TN); Loving In-Laws: Robert “Bob” Warr (Gail, deceased); Frederick “Freddie” Warr (Roberta, deceased); Veronica White [Jehue (Zachary, LA)]; Shirley, deceased (James “Bo” Pinkney); Judy Warr; Karen Warr; Angie Warr; Deborah Warr; Special Friends & Caregivers: Bonnie Price, Mary Lumpkins, Letitia “Tish” Rudolph, Evelyn Williams and Carol Sims; and a host of beloved cousins, nieces, nephews and other family, friends and caregivers.