Sandra Kay Vinyard Roberts

Sandra was born on July 21, 1942 in Mt. Pleasant Texas and died peacefully at her home in Lufkin on April 20, 2024.

Sandra was a trailblazer her whole life. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1960. First in her family to graduate from college, Sandra graduated from Baylor University in 1964 as co-valedictorian, graduating summa cum laude and a member of Alpha Chi.

After briefly teaching mathematics at South Garland High School in the Dallas area, Sandra worked at Texas Instruments as a systems analyst where she held a government clearance helping design programs to map the ocean floor during the Cold War. She moved to Lufkin in July 1970 and worked for the City of Lufkin and helped first computerize the city’s water department.

Sandra embarked on a second career at the age of 36 when she, with two young kids in tow, moved to Dallas in 1978 to attend law school at Southern Methodist University at a time when few women pursued a law degree. Sandra graduated from law school in December, 1980 and returned to Lufkin to become the first female attorney in Lufkin to set up a private legal practice. Sandra tenaciously carved out a path for herself in the male dominated legal field. Having a strong mathematics background, she intended to pursue trust and estate law but quickly found that women sought her out to represent them in divorce and custody cases. Sandra became an expert in family law and earned nicknames such as the “Dragon Lady” and the “Bulldog” for her fierce defense of her clients. In 1986, she became one of the first in the area to become board certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and was named a Texas Super Lawyer beginning in 2004 and continuing for almost a decade. Sandra was very proud to have helped pave the way for female attorneys in the East Texas area. One of Sandra’s proudest moments was when her daughter joined her law firm in 2001, making them the first mother-daughter law firm in the area and they continued to practice law together for 20 years until Sandra’s reluctant retirement. Sandra was an avid sports fan and a devoted lifelong Baylor fan. If the Bears were playing, Sandra was watching, and she was proud to label herself a true fan who always supported the Bears, win or lose. Sandra was also very proud of her grandson, Sam, who will begin playing baseball at Kansas State in the Fall. She would have had quite a dilemma deciding who to root for when Kansas State plays Baylor next year.

Sandra is survived by her husband of 28 years, Robert “Buddy” Beavers; her beloved children, son Greg and wife Cristy of Porter, Texas, daughter Leigh and husband Daniel Bates of Nacogdoches, daughter Kim and husband Oralio Flores of Lufkin, and son Mark and wife Carolyn Beavers of Lufkin. Grandchildren Victoria Brazil of Lufkin, Adam and wife Ashley Brazil of Houston, Logan Bates and Mason Bates of Nacogdoches, and Sam Flores of Lufkin. She is also survived by her brother, John Keith and wife Karen Vinyard of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, two nieces and a nephew, and five great-grandchildren. Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, John Edwin and Emma Dell Vinyard.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of the Carroway Funeral Home. The family will hold a memorial for Sandra at the Crown Colony Country Club on Sunday, April 28th from 3 to 5 pm. All are invited to join to share in a celebration of Sandra’s life.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Angelina County Bar Foundation Scholarship Fund, 221 S. Second Street, Lufkin, Texas 75901, which provides deserving Angelina County graduates with college scholarships each year. Sandra chaired the scholarship committee for many years and was very proud of the bar’s efforts to promote higher education in our community.