Sandra Rawlinson Blake

Sandra Rawlinson Blake, 87, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away peacefully on December 27, 2022 after drifting away for years into Alzheimer's disease and saying a long, loving goodbye to family and friends.

Sandra was born to Glen and Rayda in Delta, Utah. She came into the world too early with small chances of living. With characteristic ingenuity and devotion, her mother and father nursed their baby girl in a homemade incubator with a light bulb for warmth. With the quiet tenacity that would be her hallmark, that baby girl survived.

Her brother Keith watched over his little sister as early as he can remember, and they became inseparable during their childhood adventures. Twelve years later, she began her career as a doting mother when her sister, Annette, joined their family.

Growing up during the depths of the Great Depression and the war years that followed, her parents taught her to build her life on the bedrock of faith and family. Throughout her life, she remained true to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She met her husband — Fernard Blake of Hinckley, Utah — while attending Delta High School. When he shipped out for the Korean War, she waited for him. After he returned, they married in the temple at Manti, Utah.

She soon gave birth in quick succession to three strong boys while they lived in Fillmore, Utah. They followed his job with the Union Pacific Railroad out of the familiar towns of western Utah and into the booming cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas. They didn't expect to make Las Vegas their home for the next 50 years, but there they stayed, in that modest house near the edge of town, as the city and their family grew up around them.

Along the way, they adopted two daughters, were surprised late in life by another son and daughter, and completed their family by adopting a baby boy. That wasn't the end of her mothering. She spent her whole life mothering anyone who needed it, from kids to kittens. Always soft-spoken, we will forever remember her gentle presence in our lives.

She was an accomplished pianist and organist, filling her home and church with beautiful music. She also loved to garden and to make arts and crafts of all kinds.

After a long life together, her husband passed away less than a week before their 60th anniversary. She lived a few more years in their family home, then moved away to the assisted living home where in the end she would pass away surrounded by the love of her family.

She is preceded in death by her mother Rayda and father Walter Glen, brothers Mark and Dane, one grandchild, and husband Fernard. She is survived by brothers Keith, Lewis, and Will; sister, Annette; all eight children Rawlin, Kumen (Becky), Conrad (Lorrie), S. Elana (Tommy), Annie (Doug), Michele (bonus daughter), Jonathan (Lacey), Dara, and Jason; 26 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren (3 more on the way), and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

A visitation for Sandra will be held Saturday, January 7, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2245 S. Lindell Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146. A funeral service will occur Saturday, January 7, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, 2245 S. Lindell Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89146. A committal service will occur Saturday, January 7, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Palm Northwest Cemetery, 6701 North Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89131.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmnorthwest.com for the Blake family.