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Sandra (nee Moore), longtime resident of Texas, Oregon, and New Mexico, passed away on March 24, 2008, at Presbyterian Hospice in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Third of five children, Sandra was born on June 24, 1943, to Donald W. Moore and Vera Juanita Pickens, in Abilene, Texas. The family moved to Hereford in 1950, and Sandra graduated from Hereford High School in 1961. Sandra attended McMurry College and Baylor University and held a degree in Religion and Psychology from Eastern New Mexico University. In 1963, Sandra married Philip Anson Wolcott. Before moving with their two young daughters to the Pacific Northwest, Sandra worked at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. In Eugene, Oregon, where the family lived for many years, Sandra was employed by CH2M Hill. Coming to Albuquerque in the early 1980s, Sandra first worked for UNM library, then began a career as a highly regarded trainer in Organizational Communication, developing curricula and conducting classes at Kirtland Air Force Base, Lovelace Medical Center, Sandia Laboratory, and other local entities. In the course of this work, Sandra became associated with the Albuquerque Mediation Alliance, where she went on to serve as Executive Director. She subsequently directed a federally-funded pilot program at Albuquerque's East San Jose Elementary School, initiating a much-admired children's gardening program known as the Jardineros Project. Pursuing her interest in children, Sandra earned certification from the English Nanny and Governess Training School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and spent several years in this capacity for families in San Francisco and Palm Beach, Florida. She returned to Albuquerque in 2005 to devote herself to the care of her father, who, along with her mother, were residents of Manzano del Sol Good Samaritan Village. Sandra's lifelong focus was on building bonds with those around her, confirming the web of connections linking family, friends, and the world at large. Music played a key role in this: in addition to playing the piano, Sandra had a lovely voice and especially appreciated classical music and opera. Literature was equally essential to her, especially poetry. Sandra was a lover of animals and of nature. She had uncanny empathy and great patience. She touched the lives of those around her with compassion and vibrancy. Sandra Starr is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Larry Don Moore. She is survived by her brothers, Pickens Moore (Gallup, NM), and Cyrus Moore (New York, NY); by her sister, Amanda Moore (Santa Fe, NM); by her daughters, Robin Wolcott and Holly Reilly (both of Seattle, WA); and by ten grandchildren, with the eleventh joyfully anticipated in May. Two well-loved grand-dogs, Stella and Spencer, are among those left behind. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2008, in the Chapel of Manzano del Sol Good Samaritan Village in Albuquerque. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Presbyterian Hospice Foundation.
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