Sandra Abraham

Sandra Abraham passed away peacefully in her Oak Ridge home on June 1st; she was 78 years old. 

Originally from Syracuse, NY, Sandra lived in the East, Southwest and Midwest before retiring to Tennessee 

to be with her family, who were dear to her heart. Sandra was both an accomplished artist and art teacher; 

she held degrees from the universities of Dayton and Syracuse. She enjoyed cultivating creativity and

imagination in generations of students through teaching art at elementary schools in Michigan, Arizona and

New York. Her students also included friends and family who learned to appreciate the “dancing of light” in

paintings and the significance of artists across history, from Renaissance to Impressionism and Contemporary

periods. She traveled the world with her family and loved to show them the great museums of New York, 

France, and Italy.

Despite being stricken by a debilitating spinal cord injury in 2005, Sandra defied the odds and learned to paint

again, as well as how to live independently on her own. With support from her family and from long-time caregiver,

Shannon Duggan, Sandra lived a full and active life, including creating, displaying and selling her artwork in local

art galleries. Her grandchildren learned to embrace and develop their creative abilities through numerous “art

classes” and “summer camps” at Gramma’s house and both are pursuing careers that leverage their strong 

creative skillsets.

Sandra was proceeded in death by parents Jane and Larry Bouchard, and she leaves behind a daughter, 

Michaela, son-in-law, Bernie, and two cherished grandchildren, Elena and Benjamin. It would be remiss not to

express her sincere appreciation of caregivers Shannon and Tiffany, who were faithfully at her side in her final

days.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, June 24th at 11 am ET, at St Mary’s Church in Oak Ridge. The funeral

will be livestreamed on YouTube under “Funeral Mass for Sandra Abraham, St. Mary’s Oak Ridge”. For all who

know her or her family, a celebration of life and open house will be held at Sandra’s home in Oak Ridge on

Saturday, June 28th from 10 am to 2 pm. Sandra’s artwork will be on display and visitors will be encouraged to 

take favorite pieces home with them.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in her memory to the Patricia Neal

Rehabilitation Hospitals and Outpatient Clinics through their

website:https://philanthropy.covenanthealth.com/a/donate.