Obituary of Sandra Solomon

On Sunday, February 26, 2023, our beautiful wife and mother, Sandra Solomon peacefully passed away at the age of 80 in her home with love and tender care surrounded by her husband, children, and one sister. Her battle with Alzheimer’s finally ended and she was free from the hold of the disease. Sandra Marchand Solomon was born on November 6, 1942, in Lake Charles, Louisiana to Willie Marchand and Maybell Leblanc Marchand. She attended Sacred Heart School in elementary and high school where she excelled academically and was very active with the church and with music. She then went on to Xavier University in New Orleans and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She met her husband, Junius Solomon, in New Orleans, LA, where she resided after graduating from Xavier University in 1964. She and Junius got married on November 2, 1969. When she married Junius, she became a bonus mother to a daughter, Donna Solomon, who was 8 years of age when Sandra and Junius married. Sandra did not allow the use of the word “step” daughter regarding Donna, who was a “bonus” daughter to her. Sandra and Junius moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, and in 1971, they had a son. In 1975, they then moved to Willingboro, New Jersey, a suburban town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and had two more children, a daughter and another son. Her youngest son provided the gifts of two grandsons. She remained in Willingboro for the rest of her days. After graduating from college with her degree in chemistry, she began working as the first black research assistant at Tulane Medical School researching cancer and the cure for the common cold. When she later moved to Virginia, she continued conducting science research under a world leader who researched anaerobic bacteria (bacteria able to live without oxygen) at Virginia Tech. Additionally in Virginia, she assisted with childcare programs and took care of her first-born son. When she moved to New Jersey, she gave birth to her other two children, and she worked for the Willingboro School District assisting parents in improving children’s school performance, writing grants, and serving as an Affirmative Action officer for the district. She then transferred her work to Bridgeton School District, continuing grant writing and acting as the Affirmative Action officer, from where she would retire. Even while with the Bridgeton School district, she still was active in Willingboro by participating on the Youth Achievement Award committee that honored youth in the district. Sandra was a devout Catholic and a member of Corpus Christi Church in Willingboro, New Jersey for 45+ years. She was a member of the choir and a cantor. She was a prayerful woman which was passed down from her mother. She was highly intelligent and received academic honors throughout her academic career. She believed in education and ensuring all children learned and received equitable treatment. She was an amazing cook, seamstress, interior decorator, math wizard, songstress, and musician with the flute and piano (her musician inclination was passed down from her father). Mrs. Solomon was preceded in death by her father and mother. She is survived by her husband, Junius Solomon, four children, Donna Solomon, James (Mary O’Brien) Solomon, Erika Solomon, David (Allison) Solomon, two grandsons, Avery and Alexander Solomon, a bonus grandson, John O’Brien (Melissa O’Brien and bonus great granddaughter, Maggie O’Brien), seven brothers and sisters, Michael Marchand (Juanita), Eric Marchand (Joyce), Gregory Marchand (Rosaland), Monica Marchand, Judy Marchand, Gerard Marchand (Tonta), Andrea Hawkins (Mac), and several nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, and a plethora of cousins. We were blessed with the gift of Sandra who was an amazing daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. Her memories may have been stolen by disease, but our memories remained and will forever remain as memories of love and gratitude. She was the closest thing we know to perfection, an angel on earth who has now gained her wings through God’s will. Proverbs 31:28-29: “Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”