Bishop’s Message: Sharing the Sad News of Sandy Folts Death
I was saddened to receive the news that Sandra (Sandy) Folts, wife of the Rt. Rev. James (Jim) Folts, 8th Bishop of the Diocese West Texas, passed away on Monday, July 8 in San Antonio, Texas.
Born on September 27, 1942, in Victoria, Texas, Sandra Pauline Johnston Folts, known affectionately as Sandy to her friends and loved ones, was well-known and beloved throughout the diocese. Sandy’s life was a testament to her Christian faith, her love of her husband and family, and her profound kindness that deeply touched all who knew her.
Sandy will be greatly missed. I ask your prayers for Bishop Folts, son Bishop Jonathan Folts and wife Kimberly, daughter Jeanne and husband Jason Leo, and grandchildren.
The burial office service for Sandy, will be held on Saturday, July 20, 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 315 E. Pecan St., San Antonio, TX US 78205. A private inurnment will take place at the Bishop Jones Center of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.
The following is a beautiful tribute written by Sandy’s son, Bishop Jonathan Folts, to our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
Sandra Folts, beloved wife of the Rt. Rev. James Folts, a beloved mother of two and grandmother of six, unexpectedly made her journey into the nearer presence of our Lord and Savior. My father and I were blessed to have been by her side here in a San Antonio hospital. She and my father were married for sixty years — and together, they drove over half a million miles in the Diocese of West Texas while she befriended every person she encountered with the kind of love and joy that can only be expressed by a Christian who has the gentle heart of a kindergarten teacher.
Memorial gifts may be given to the Clergy Children Scholarship Fund with the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and to Thunderhead Episcopal Center (Camp) in the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota.
Rest eternal grant to Sandy, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Love in Christ,
+David
The Rt. Rev. Dr. David G. Read, D.D.
Bishop of West Texas
