LJ Sanford Obituary

Leroy Joseph Sanford passed away peacefully on May 15, 2024, in Oviedo, Florida after relocating there several years ago to be with his daughter. He was the beloved son of the late Corine and Herman Williams. Mr. Sanford was born in Marshall, Texas on January 7, 1935, and moved to Shreveport, Louisiana at the age of five. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School where he excelled academically before entering Grambling College, from which he graduated at age twenty in 1955.

Following graduation from Grambling, Mr. Sanford began a distinguished career in the Lake Charles public school system. He advanced steadily through the ranks from teacher to principal to Supervisor. While teaching, he earned a Master of Education degree from McNeese State University in 1965 followed by a Master's Degree plus thirty Graduate Hours. He continued to build on his accomplishments with appointments as Director of the Title 1 Program and Assistant Superintendent of the Calcasieu Parish School System. After more than four decades of exceptional service to public schools where more than once he was the first African American to hold certain positions, Mr. Sanford retired and served as principal at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School as well as director of a substance abuse and prevention program.

Mr. Sanford was active in the community and served on several boards including the Lake Charles Regional Airport Authority, the Calcasieu Community Action Agency Board, and the St. Louis Catholic High School Board. He was a member of St. Margaret Catholic Church, where he served as an Usher and a Eucharistic Minister. He was a Charter Member of the Zeta Psi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Janice Mayfield Sanford, and his son Lyle Joseph Sanford.

Mr. Sanford was a mentor and advisor to many individuals in his community. He always encouraged and inspired them to be the best in whatever profession they chose. He often advised, "You have to go where God leads you."

Mr. Sanford leaves to mourn and cherish his memory his daughter, Lisa Sanford Champagne; a granddaughter, Christina C. Holford (Jordan); a grandson, Sean Champagne; a great-granddaughter, Charlotte Champagne; four nieces; five nephews; one brother-in-law, Freeman Mattox; and a host of additional relatives and friends.