Sandra Lee Autrey (née Price), 83, of McKinney, Texas, passed away on June 15, 2026. She was born February 23, 1943, in Sunnyside, Washington. Her family called her “Sis” and her friends knew her as “Sandy.” She was loved by her entire family, whom she doted on.
Sandy grew up on a farm in Outlook, Washington, where she learned early on that resourcefulness and hard work were just as important as kindness and devotion. She was a member of the Sunnyside Stampeders riding group and rode horses on the Pacific Crest Trail with her family. While in high school, Sandy volunteered as a nurse’s aide at Sunnyside General Hospital and was elected a princess in the Miss Sunnyside Royal Court before graduating in 1961.
Sandy soon became an RN and began her nursing career at the University of Washington hospital in Seattle, Washington. Her devotion to serving others was evident when she went into labor with her own son, Craig, while on duty at the hospital. Sandy went on to serve as a pediatric nurse in Bozeman, Montana. Later she moved to Ames, Iowa, to become a clinical nurse for an obstetrics and gynecology clinic and later an OR nurse for an orthopedic surgery clinic.
Sandy then served as a pediatric clinic manager in Wichita, Kansas, and later a Health Plan Director of Nurses in Phoenix, Arizona. Her career culminated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she served as National Quality Management Director for a national health organization, working with regional and state health plans across the country and with the NCQA and Joint Commission. She retired to Tyler, Texas, in 1999 before moving to McKinney, Texas, to be near her great grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Beyond her professional life, Sandy was a woman of remarkable range. She earned both her Private Pilot license and Limited Commercial Pilot certificate. Sandy was an avid ballroom and square dancer, holding offices in square dance organizations across Texas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Iowa. She designed and made dried floral arrangements and handmade greeting cards, which were beloved by her family and friends. Sandy loved and owned animals all her life, particularly her cats, dogs, and horses. At the First Christian Church in Tyler, Texas, Sandy served as secretary for four Board Chairmen and also participated in the Care Ministry, providing support to church members and friends in need.
Sandy had a gift for making people feel at home, whether that meant a helping hand, a listening ear, or a warm place to land. That spirit extended even into the hardest of circumstances. Indeed, while accompanying her husband to chemotherapy, she made it her quiet mission to seek out others in the waiting room and leave at least one person smiling before she left. The world was brighter for having had her in it.
Sandy Autrey is survived by her two sons Michael Dean Stroup (wife Lori) and Craig Lee Stroup (wife Lesa); her stepchildren Jace Dasenbrock (wife Nona) and Ann (Dasenbrock) Levantovich (husband Walt); and her stepchildren Bart Autrey (wife Amy) and Beth Autrey (husband Mike Adams); her two brothers Don Price (wife Bonnie) and Ron Price (wife Jan); her grandchildren Sarah (Stroup) Fuentes (husband Michael) and Sean Stroup (wife Sydney), children of Michael; Tygren Stroup, and Lauren Stroup, children of Craig; Jaret Dasenbrock, Zach Dasenbrock, Ian Bennett, and Emma Bennett, children of Jace; Liam Levantovich and Elise Levantovich, children of Ann; Kelly Autrey, child of Bart; and Ella Adams, child of Beth; and her great-granddaughters Elise Fuentes and Alina Fuentes, children of Sarah.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur Price (1918–2005) and Helen (Martin) Price (1925–2011); husband, Richard Stroup (1943–2021), to whom she was married 19 years; husband Fred Dasenbrock (1938–2016), to whom she was married for 34 years until he passed away; and husband Donny Autrey (1934–2022), to whom she was married for 4 years until he passed away.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 20, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 N. Central Expressway, Allen, Texas, 75013. A second memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Sunnyside Eagles, 100 E. South Hill Road, Sunnyside, Washington, 98944. Sandy’s ashes will be scattered near the Yakima River in the land she loved and where her father once fished.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Crew 62, a BSA Scouting unit dedicated to serving Stepping Stones, a Fairfax County, VA, residential treatment program for court-involved males ages 14-18; work that Sandy was proud of. Checks may be made out to Crew 62 – FBCS and sent to Craig Stroup 5024 Dequincey Dr, Fairfax, VA 22032. Also consider a donation to the Ballard House in Katy, Texas, (www.theballardhouse.org/contact), which is a non-profit organization providing free accommodations to people undergoing prolonged periods of daily medical therapies, such as cancer treatments in cities away from home; another organization Sandy greatly appreciated for serving our family.