Marie Taylor Sands

Marie Taylor Sands, life-long resident of Shawnee, Oklahoma passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2024. She was 31 years old. Marie was born in Shawnee on September 11, 1993 and graduated from the Oklahoma School for the Deaf. Marie entered this world with a hole in her diaphragm causing her abdominal organs to develop in her chest cavity. As an infant, she required extensive surgeries to ensure a better quality of life. She learned to be a fighter early on and never let her medical conditions dim her shine. 

Marie was a little spitfire, stubborn and determined with a smile that would light up a room. She was a daddy’s girl at heart and loved traveling with her dad to Cozumel, Mexico where she enjoyed riding on the boat and soaking up the sunshine. Marie also loved a good meal with family and friends. Her little dogs, Misty and Jade also had a special place in her heart. She worked at Red Lobster making their delicious cheddar biscuits. 

Marie lived a big life her way and will be deeply missed by her loving family and friends. 

Marie was preceded in death by her grandparents, Douglas and Wanda Sands. 

Those left to cherish her memory are her father, Gary Sands, mother, Amy Colley, sisters, Lindsay Heckman and Megan Insel and husband Josh, grandma and grandpa, Carol and Bobby Danner, bonus mom, Stephanie Bryan and husband Darrell and their family, nieces and nephews, Logan Wayne Turner, Devin Michael Penrod, and Aria Insel, aunts and uncles, Debbie and David Berlin and Carl and Cindy Packwood, and great aunt, Virginia Moore.

A memorial ceremony for Marie will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at the First Church of the Nazarene. 

Arrangements are under the direction of Walker Funeral & Cremation Service.