Sandra Jean McBride

Sandra Jean (Sexton) McBride, age 85, succumbed to her fight with cancer on Saturday, June 15, 2024. 

Sandra was born in Twin Falls, Idaho. She attended elementary schools in Twin Falls, Curry, Jerome, and Murtaugh. She attended middle school and high school at Hazelton, Idaho, and was a graduate of Valley High School in 1957, and attended Conquerors Bible College in Portland, Oregon.

Sandra grew up on several farms which her family rented in the Magic Valley area. She enjoyed helping out with farm work, including bean weeding and potato harvesting (picking spuds, and later, on a potato harvester).

Before her crippling arthritis took over in later life, Sandra had earlier enjoyed frequent camping/ fishing trips, including explorations, hiking, and spelunking in caves. 

Sandra married Charles, (Chuck), McBride on April 15, 1959. Chuck McBride passed away in April 2009.

Sandra also enjoyed riding on the back of her husband’s (Chuck) motorcycle, when they traveled on work-related trips to inspect power lines and trees. Some of these trips took them down into Southern Utah where they enjoyed visiting the national parks, with all their splendid beauty and awe. 

Sandra and her husband also on occasion picked cherries in Oregon and Washington, as well as engaging in some limited tree harvesting on several work permit projects in Oregon.

Sandra’s husband, Chuck McBride, operated Chuck’s Heating and Air Conditioning for many years and Sandra helped with the secretarial work for that business. 

During many of those years Sandra and Chuck helped raise their niece, Minisha, and also a neighbor girl named Debbie Atkinson, who thereafter became much like a daughter to Sandra.

Sandra was an accomplished pianist, singer, and guitar player. She learned to play the piano, by ear, at a very young age. She also sang and played in church, at school, and also on occasion with the McBride Brothers singing group, including at the Twin Falls County Fair.

During her lifetime Sandra was a member of several Pentecostal churches in the Magic Valley.

Sandra was preceded in death by her husband Charles, her parents Roy and Edwardine Sexton, and her grand-nephew, Arturo Hernandez Jr.

Sandra is survived by her brother, Richard Sexton, and grand-niece, Marisela Hernandez, and a special “daughter” friend, Deborah (Brian) Smith all of Twin Falls, and her sister, Linda (Eddie) Green of Hagerman, and her niece, Minisha Robinson of Phoenix, AZ, and numerous nieces and nephews from the Green family.

The family wishes to thank Hospice Visions of Twin Falls for their end-of-life hospice care.

A celebration of life will be observed by family and friends at a later date.