Sandra Nancy Pope-Budge

Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Sandra was the daughter of the late Douglas W. Pope and Nancy A. Woodward Pope. After living in Natick for more than thirty-five years, she is survived by her only daughter, Cassandra Budge, her sister Deborah Pope-Lance, her niece, Honor Herron, and her grandnephew, Hamish Herron, all of Natick. Her “son-in-law” Benjamin, nephew Trevor, aunt Janice, and many cousins survive her as well. Her soulmate and partner, Jack, predeceased her in 2003, as did her sister, Barbara A. Foster in 2019.

Sandra’s parents and two older sisters moved to Medfield, Massachusetts when Sandra was still at a young age. Massachusetts was where she made many happy memories, including spending her summers in Dennis on Cape Cod, but she loved traveling around New England and to Naples, Florida. She had a knack for having fun and a genuine love of life. Growing up, she fell in love with sports, at a time when sports programs did not widely exist for young girls. Regardless, as Sandra told it, she still outran all the boys. She loved the adventure and the challenge of any game, but she especially enjoyed playing field hockey, basketball, tennis, badminton, and croquet, and even card games such as bridge, cribbage, and rummy.

In addition to her love of sports, Sandra had an artist’s passion and eye. At a young age she fell in love with photography. She attended Walnut Hill in Natick on a field hockey scholarship, but also enjoyed art history, pottery and developing her photography skills. While completing a photography major at Endicott College, Sandra began selling photography equipment at Lechmeres and realized she had a knack for sales.

For many years, Sandra sold Tupperware and her natural saleswomanship and love of talking to people meant she quickly became one of the top national sales representatives. Afterward she moved into the newspaper advertising business where she not only sold advertising space but designed hundreds of printed advertising campaigns throughout the Greater Boston area. She worked for The Needham Times, The Tab, The Middlesex (now called The Metrowest Daily), and The Boston Phoenix. With each new challenge, Sandra greatly exceeded expectations, earning her both industry and community recognition.

As a lover of antiques and history, one of Sandra’s favorite yearly rituals was attending the Brimfield Antique Fair with her daughter. She loved educating herself on the history of early America and its antiques and could spot a reproduction in a second. She enjoyed hunting and haggling for examples of history and fine craft, but more than anything loved being outside on clear, beautiful “Brimfield days”.

Sandra was a great lover of the outdoors. She loved clamming as a child with her father, spending time fishing or hunting for shells on the beach, or planting and digging in the garden. When her daughter was young, Sandra grew tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables in the garden so the family could enjoy them together. In later years, she grew many multi-colored daylilies and vibrant flowers, planning and creating a gorgeous yard full of blooms. As an avid bird watcher and lover of animals, Sandra strived to attract hummingbirds and would get excited each time she saw one. She tucked bird houses in every tree, in hopes of watching small birds make their nests, guard their eggs and feed their babies each year. Sandra spent many hours enjoying the beauty of the Audubon sanctuaries and loved combining her passion for photography with her love of nature and birds. Sandra proudly belonged to both the ASPCA and the Massachusetts Audubon Society and her family asks that any memorial gifts in Sandra’s name be made to either of these organizations.

A Service will be held Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 am at the Chapel at Edgell Grove Cemetery, Framingham, MA. Interment will follow in Edgell Grove Cemetery.