Another angel has joined the heavens. Sandra Kay Lavish, 83, passed away on Oct. 17, 2024, at Valley View Medical Center in Fort Mohave, Arizona. She was preceded in death by her husband, Captain John L. Lavish, a U.S. Marine Corps F-4 pilot who died in Vietnam in 1967.
Kay was born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1941. She was an only child to Alma and Chief Detective Charlie Powell and was heavily influenced by her grandparents, “Big Mama and Big Daddy,” who lived across the road. Her cousin Margie was like a sister, and they were best childhood friends.
She graduated from Meridian High School in 1959, then went on to earn an associate degree from Meridian Junior College in 1961.
Kay worked for Pioneer Products until she married John Lavish. The newlyweds then moved west to Southern California. After John was killed in Vietnam, Kay stayed on in Orange County, launching a successful career as a moderator and analyst in market research, eventually owning her own marketing research company.
While living in Orange County, she met Harlan Lassiter, and they were best friends and companions until his death in July 2023. She semi-retired to Wrightwood, California, where they both enjoyed life in the mountains for several years. In 2011, Harlan bought properties in Mohave Valley, and Kay purchased a home in Los Lagos, Fort Mohave, where she resided for 13 years.
Kay was active in her local community. She was co-chair of the Los Lagos activities committee for several years and a charter member of the Los Lagos Book Club. She was devoted to all things patriotic. As a member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), she supported local activities for veterans. Maintaining ties to her previous home and friends in Wrightwood, Calif., she was considered the founding “Mother” of the Wrightwood Veterans Memorial Park.
Kay was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bullhead City and most recently attended Mojave Valley United Methodist Church in Fort Mohave. She was a devout Christian whose strong faith and love of God were the focus of her life and the source of her peace in death.
She is survived by her cousin, Margie, and her husband, Dean Gebhart; Eddie Partridge of Meridian, Miss.; her sister-in-law, Linda Lavish of Springfield, Ill.; and many friends. She will be dearly missed.
Memorial services will be held at Mojave Valley United Methodist Church, 1593 E. Lipan Blvd., Fort Mohave, AZ 86426, on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m.
