Sondra Kay Carnahan's Obituary
Sondra Kay Carnahan, 81, of Decatur, IL, passed away Tuesday, July 9th, 2024. Sondra was born on May 30th, 1943, to Harold V. Perkins and Venita Marie Harris Perkins. Sondra married Jim Carnahan, and had 4 children: Pat, Penny, Kathy, and Ericka, before divorcing. Sondra never remarried, but instead became one of the strongest and most independent women of her time. She lived her life her way, under her terms, while always putting her family before herself, until her very last breath.
Sondra was born in Decatur, and was a longtime resident of Decatur, but spent many years between raising her children in Livermore, California, where she worked while raising her 4 children, as a line operator for several large companies including General Motors Inc of San Jose, and Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, and Heller Seasoning and ingredient in Pleasanton California. Sondra was dedicated to providing for her family, and as such, was a force to be reckoned with. Her children have memories of her coming home at night, barely able to hold a fork to eat, and soaking her sore body in tubs of Epsom salt baths until she became accustomed to the job that 7 men before her quit because it was too difficult. Once her children were grown, Sondra enjoyed creating Porcelain dolls from Kiln to Hutch, including sewing beautiful clothes, hand modeling and painting their faces, and assembling and dressing them in so many beautiful ways. She was truly incredible and talented and had such an eye for details. She often would collaborate with her friend, Marge, and made dolls and doll clothes that were even featured in magazines! Besides her doll making she was also seamstress and a crocheter, and would always be ready to hem pants, alter dresses, and create curtains, aprons and so much more, but for herself, she most enjoyed finding patterns and creating her MooMoo's with gigantic pockets which she dubbed "garbage can carry all’s", big enough to fit her remote control, and her tissues. If you came to visit her, she was always wearing one of her creations. If it was a day for an outing, she was wearing stripes or polka dots, and in colder weather accompanied by a blazer with a brooch attached. Sondra was always making and finding unique things for her family that made her think of them, so her gifts were often very unique and perfectly suited to their recipient.
Sondra is preceded in death by her parents, and siblings Bob "Perkie" Perkins, Donna (Berl) Gharst, and brother-in-law Jerry Reedy. She is survived by her sister, Beverly Joann Reedy and her children- Pat Carnahan, Penny (Mike) Hickey, Kathy (David Ihle) Peardon, Ericka Carnahan, and daughter in-law Donna Carnahan, 8 Grandchildren- Veronica (Joe) Hattrup, Jennifer Trevino, Lindsey Sandoval, Christopher (Nicki) Carnahan, Kyle Sandoval, Amanda (Shawn) Cunningham, Steven Carnahan, and Orey Carnahan-Riley, and 10 Great Grandchildren- Larissa, Leland, Olivia, Ashlyn, Brian, Dorian, Jenna, Noah, Fiona, and Sebastian, and numerous nieces and nephews, all of which she loved very much.
Funeral service for Sondra will be at 11am Tuesday, July 16 at Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home, with visitation one-half hour prior to the service. Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.gracelandfairlawn.com.
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