Obituary

Sandra Taye (Snyder) Wilkerson, 90, of Charleston, WV, passed away Monday, December 29, 2025.

She was born on September 14, 1935, to the late Fred and Ruth Snyder in Whitesville, WV. She went to grade school in Whitesville, then to Sherman High School in Seth, WV. While a student at Sherman, she was invited to play professional basketball for the All-American Red Heads professional basketball team, but instead chose to attend Marshall College (now University) majoring in Speech and Physical Education. Upon graduation, she married Thomas Dee Wilkerson, also from Whitesville, and she taught in Rockbridge County, VA, while Tom finished his law degree at Washington and Lee University. Upon his graduation, they moved to St. Albans, WV.

Over the years, Sandra was very involved in community activities. She was a member of the Eastern Star. She served on the Board of Trustees at Marshall University and was a member and board member of the Woman Builders of the University of Charleston where she was instrumental in changing the name and nature of that group to include men in the membership. She served multiple terms as an elder while a member of the First Presbyterian Church of St. Albans and Village Chapel Presbyterian Church in Kanawha City, and she also served on the Board of the Presbytery of West Virginia. Sandra served as a volunteer at Hospice House for 5-6 years and as a volunteer at Charleston Area Medical Center for a similar time.

Sandra’s family has always been her pride and joy – lots of fun, laughs, and good times together. When challenges arose, they joined hands, circled the wagons, and worked together to find solutions. They were a true team. She believed each of them to be God’s good people.

Sandra didn’t care who a person was, but what they were. She believed that what we do for ourselves ends, but what we do for others lives on. At the time of her passing, she requested to share a passage from her mother Ruth’s notes:

“When people leave on a boat, you say ‘There they go.’ But on the other side of the horizon, they are saying ‘Here they come.’ Thinking of this, it must be something like that when a loved one dies and we are then able to let them go. So let me go, and I’ll see you on the other side.”

Everything has a season ‘til it is gathered to the Father’s fold. Every good gift, all that we need and cherish, comes from the Lord as a token of his love, all things come of thee.

Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Ruth Snyder, as well as her best friend and soul mate, Tom. She treasured every step of the way in life with Tom, and they will be celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary together this year. They had three children, Fredrick Snyder Wilkerson (Lynn), James Brian Wilkerson (John Auge), and Cindy Lynn Wilkerson Hanna (Bill Sothen). She was grandmother or Momma Sandra to Joy Callaway (John), Jed Wilkerson (Hannah), Samantha Hanna (Chris Meyer), and Jamie Hanna (Jancis). She was great-grandmother to Alevia, John, Reese, Davis, Porter, Maeve, and Callum.

A celebration of Sandra’s life will be held between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 2026, at Jim’s home, located at 308 Shawnee Circle, Charleston, WV.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions to: Kanawha Hospice Care, 1606 Kanawha Blvd, West, Charleston WV 25387 or Village Chapel Presbyterian Church, 3818 Venable Avenue, SE, Charleston, WV 25304.

You may send condolences to the family at barlowbonsall.com.

Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.