Marie "Terry" Sands, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on December 17, 2024 at the age of 81. Born January 18, 1943, in Baltimore, Md, to the late Charles and Mary (nee Wenski) Jenkins, Terry was the devoted wife to Wayne, loving mother to Sean (Carolyn), Steve (Margie) and Matt Sands, and beloved grandmother to Maggie, Lauren, Will, Charlotte, Colleen, Addison and Campbell Sands. She was a cherished sister to Charlie (Buck) Jenkins of Grovetown, Ga, Lorraine Cesarini, of Hanover, Pa, and Janice Flynn of Abingdon, Md.

Terry was a 1961 graduate of The Catholic High School where she met many lifelong friends.  Terry then pursued her passion, graduating from St. Josephs Hospital Nursing School in Baltimore, MD in 1964. Terry worked as a floor nurse for St. Josephs Hospital in Baltimore and then Towson, Md, for 43 years until her retirement in 2007, caring for thousands of patients in her kind, loving and often light-hearted way.

Upon graduating nursing school, Terry went on to marry the love of her life, Wayne. Together they shared 59 years of marriage before her passing.  Terry raised her family in the Stoneridge section of Towson and was a devout member of Immaculate Conception Parish for over 50 years, until illness led her into memory care at Oak Crest Village in Parkville, Md, in 2019. There, she continued to laugh and sing and dance and brighten the day of others when she could.

Terry's legacy is one of selflessness and dedication—not just to her family and friends, but also to her coworkers and patients and even to strangers who crossed her path. Her warmth and kindness could light up a room, and her practical words of wisdom could lift spirits, making each of us feel that we truly mattered. To her children and grandchildren, Terry was a sweet-spirited, modest, loving, generous, kind, and caring woman. Her journey on this earth was one marked by love, dedication, compassion, and unwavering faith in God. Many described her as a saint, or an angel on earth. She was beloved by everyone who knew her.

Above all, her greatest joy was her family who will miss her deeply. We find comfort knowing she is again reunited with her parents who she loved and missed so deeply.

Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation honoring Terry's life at Ruck Towson Funeral Home in Towson, MD, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, December 29, 2024, and her funeral celebration mass at Immaculate Conception Church, 200 Ware Avenue, Towson, Md, at 10:00 am on Monday, December 30, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Terry's memory can be made to: Alzheimer's Association, 502 Washington Ave suite 300, Towson, MD 21204, https://alz.org ; or to Gilchrist Philanthropy Team, 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350,Hunt Valley, MD 21031, https://gilchristcares.org/donate/