Marion (Mimi) Plummer Sanford, a longtime resident of Glastonbury, Conn. and East Chop, died on Jan. 13. She was 89.
She was the widow of George J. Sanford Jr.
She grew up in Hartford, Conn., the youngest of Frank and Margaret Coughlin Plummer’s four daughters. She attended Weaver High School and was an avid ice skater and cheerleader. She graduated in 1952. Shortly after, she met the love of her life, George Sanford Jr.
Mimi and George moved to Glastonbury in 1965 and raised their six children, which was first and foremost her proudest accomplishment. In the Connecticut woods, Mimi embraced her love of the natural world, studying plants, herbs and obtaining her master gardener certificate. She created a woodland trail garden and aviary that attracted a myriad of bird species throughout the seasons.
She cherished holidays and traditions, always finding a reason to celebrate and decorate. Christmas at the Sanford home was magical, with handmade pine garlands and spiced pomander balls decking the halls. But everyone knew Halloween was her favorite. Always dressed in costume, she and George hosted an annual Halloween parade and party for their neighborhood. Happily, this tradition continues, hosted by a next generation of Sanfords.
In 1983 Mimi and George established a second home on East Chop and started new traditions of summers spent at the East Chop Beach Club, watching her children and grandchildren learn to swim and sail. Summer nights meant pasta dinners, walks to Crystal Lake and tournaments of Trivial Pursuit and Setback. She was a bit of a card shark and in her early 80s joined an all-men’s Setback group; she was a consistent winner of the strategic card game.
She was a talented crafter. She knit, crocheted, hooked rugs, embroidered, did needlepoint, made wreaths and potpourri, refinished furniture and caned chairs. One of her most memorable creations — a tiger maple caned chair — won the blue ribbon at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair.
She was a friend of artisans and tradespeople up and down the East Coast and was a collector of regional folk art and textiles. She loved her time volunteering at the Glastonbury Historical Society where she tended to the dresses of antique dolls. She was a member of the Hill and Dale Garden Club in Glastonbury, Conn.; the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club; the East Chop Tennis Club; the Edgartown Golf Club; and the East Chop Beach Club.
Mimi is survived by her six children: Patti Roberts and her spouse Michael, Elizabeth Sanford, Richard Sanford and his spouse Chris, Jennifer Sanford, Amy Diezemann and her spouse Jim, and Jim Sanford. She also leaves her adoring grandchildren: Nick and his spouse Sarah, Alex, Christian, Michaela, Martha, Charlotte, Anna, Madeleine, James and great-grandson Henry George; her sister, Peg Balcezak and her husband Ted; and her sister in law Carol Brewer and her spouse Edward.
She was predeceased by her daughter Melissa and her sisters, Pat Bonadies and Barbara Sorgio.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Catholic Church in Hartford, Conn. Calling hours will be held that morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Mulryan Funeral Home in Glastonbury, Conn. Interment will be held at the convenience of her family.
Memorial contributions may be made to to St. Patrick and St. Anthony’s Sandwich Ministry — where Mimi was a volunteer — by visiting the church website at spsact.org. Donations can also be made to the Glastonbury Historical Society or Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation on Martha’s Vineyard at sheriffsmeadow.org.
For online condolences, please visit mulryanfh.com.
