Jean Marie Sansom

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Jean Marie Sansom, of Touchet, Washington, passed away Tuesday, June 9 ^th 2020 at her home. She is survived by her loving husband Darrell, children Theodore, Tyler, Amber, Jason, Thea, her father Robert, siblings Mark, Robert, Jeffrey, Lynn, and Victoria, along with 10 grandchildren and many more nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her mother Lenora.

Jean was born on September 30, 1962 in Montgomery, Alabama at Maxwell Airforce Base but spent her formative years in Medical Lake, graduating from Medical Lake High School. After marrying her love, they lived in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho before settling in Touchet to raise their five children. She worked for Walla Walla County Rural Library for over 20 years and had a lasting impression on her coworkers and the community.  Jean enjoyed watching her children play sports for Touchet and continued to support Touchet High School teams after her children graduated.

As her closest friends can attest, you could often find her sitting outside enjoying a good book and a cup of coffee early in the morning. And late at night she would sit out on the back porch with all her friends enjoying conversation, often yelling “Damnit Darrell” over some hilarity. But her favorite experiences were her grandchildren. From her first to her last this past year, she enjoyed every minute, every diaper change, bottle, burp, giggle, and snuggle and the ability to hand them back when they got upset.

As a lasting note, she enjoyed Elton John, and got to see him perform her and her beloved husbands’ song in 2019:

And you can tell everybody this is your song

It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done

I hope you don’t mind. I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you’re in the world

The family is planning a private ceremony at Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake. A public Celebration of Life is planned when more than 50 of her friends can toast in her honor. Memorial donations may be made in Jean’s name to the Touchet Educational Foundation through Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 West Alder Street, Walla Walla, 99362.