Anne Marie Sanford

Anne Marie Pope Sanford, 83, matriarch and force of nature, passed from this world on to the next, on the evening of December 18, 2016, to be met with open arms by her eternal sweetheart, Alvin Kenneth Sanford, Sr. and favorite daughter-in-law, Vicki Lynn Peaden Sanford.
Raised in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, she made her life in Prince George, Virginia, creating a world of grace, love, justice, and memory. She was exceptional throughout her life – recruited by the Department of the Navy in high school – highly intelligent and a natural leader, she could also out-sew, out-cook, out-sing, out-bowl, out-argue, and out-remember even the most formidable opponents.
A faithful and lifelong steward of Rosewood Presbyterian Church, she sparked a legacy of just, steadfast women to the forefront of church leadership, which continues through the service of her daughters. Serving in many roles, her most coveted that of Sunday School Superintendent and Choir Director, she made faith and Christian ideals central to daily family life. Involved in her children’s education, she was also a Room Mother and School Board Member at West End Christian School.
Believing in fairness and justice, she had a deep sense of civic duty, working many years as a poll worker and, in her spare time through her letter writing, ensuring the leaders of Prince George County kept on the straight-and-narrow. Her fearlessness and love of exotic places took her to Hawaii, Israel, Palestine, France, Italy, and Egypt on more than one occasion, and developed wanderlust and lasting concern for the people she encountered, a characteristic she proudly imparted to her children and grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her beloved father Maurice, mother Freelove Gaynelle, brothers Buddy, Hank, Johnny, Butch, and baby sister Charlotte. She leaves behind her dear sister, best friend and former WHAP local talent showcase singing partner, Nancy Pope Lanning, along with dozens of unfinished puzzles and half-watched gameshows, abandoned during their afternoon “sister naps” and singing sessions which brought her great comfort and joy.
She is survived by the family she built over sixty years, and who she loved, supported, and fought tirelessly for without question; who encompassed her entire purpose in life, and who she was so unendingly proud: Her children, Alvin Kenneth Jr. “Sandy”, Alana Gay Hoff (Karl), Joy Aline Wettstein (Mark), Julie Anne Pugh (Roy), and Kathryn Annette Alexander(Skip); her grandchildren, Alana Anne Gavrilis, Laki Gavrilis, Kimberly Ann Walker (John), Ashley Taylor (Brandon), Brittany Marie Beasley (Jeffrey), Ford Pugh (Kristen), Daniel Wettstein (Jessica), Philip Pugh, Katie Sanford, Alex Alexander (Olivia), Chloe Belle Alexander, Nicholas Alexander, and Dustin Wettstein; and her great-grandchildren, Isabelle JoyAnne, Olivia, and Jeffrey Jr., Beasley, Nathan and Chance Walker, Rylee Pugh, and Sophia Alexander. In addition to many family members and friends, she leaves special brothers-in-law Bruce Lanning and D.V. Sanford, Sr. and sisters-in-law Joan Pope, Debra Pope and Frances Dingas, and numerous and much-loved nieces and nephews.
She taught her family the importance of history, and in behaving in the way you wish to be remembered, and embodied that ideal, as she will be remembered by all who met her, and her love and grace forgotten by none. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 22, 2016 at the Petersburg Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 23, 2016 at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Merchants Hope Memorial Gardens.
While flowers are welcomed, donations may be made to Rosewood Presbyterian Church, 6090 Bob’s Way, Prince George, VA 23875 or to the Harpers Ferry Alumni Association Inc., c/o Gary Capriotti, P. O. Box 48, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com