A graduate of Pace University and Columbia University Teachers College, Sandra spent most of her teaching career at Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in lower Manhattan. She was extremely proud of her time as a teacher and Assistant Principal at the Manhattan location of the School for Pregnant Teens and Mothers.

Upon their retirement, Sandra and Harry, Sr. moved to Albany, Georgia where they expanded their wonderful community of friends. Sandra loved traveling, swimming, riding her bike, and playing golf. She was a voracious reader, and active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

She was the daughter of Willie Mae Williams and Thomas Henegan. Sandra was predeceased by her husband Harry in 2011 and is survived by her daughter, Michele Lawson Burts (James Burts, Sr.) of Bronx, NY, and son Harry Lawson, Jr. (Tamara Wilds Lawson) of Washington, D.C., as well as 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

A memorial will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s National Educational Fund Incorporated, www.znef.org.

Sandra was a woman of faith, kind-hearted, adventurous, and spoke plainly. She will be deeply missed by many.

Janice, whose real name was Catherine Janice Ipsan, was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bones or soft tissue, in March 2022. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer returned earlier this year.

In January, while in hospice care, she released “Dance You Outta My Head,” which she dedicated to 7-year-old son Loren.

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The tune reached the TikTok Billboard Top 50, the top 10 of Billboard’s dance and electronic chart and even entered the Billboard Top 40.

Her family announced her passing on her Instagram page Wednesday.

“This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator,” they wrote. “We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months. Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you.”

“Per Cat’s request,” some of her music will be released posthumously, the family added.

Along with her son, Ipsan is survived by her husband, Kyle Higginbotham.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 15,000 sarcoma cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

She was 53 years old.

“It is with deep sadness that we share that our beloved mother, daughter, sister, niece and aunt, Stacy, passed away today at her home in Massachusetts,” her family said in a statement released by the Boston Red Sox. “She was surrounded by her family and dear friends, as well as her wonderful caretakers and nurses. The loss is unimaginable, especially in the wake of losing Tim just under five months ago. Our hearts are beyond broken.”

Stacy Wakefield had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the family said.

Last October, Tim Wakefield died of brain cancer at the age of 57, less than a week after their dual diagnoses were made public by his ex-teammate Curt Schilling. The family, and the wife of former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, blasted him at the time for intruding on their privacy.

“Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission,” the Red Sox said in a statement last fall on behalf of the family. “Their health is a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private as they navigate treatment and work to tackle this disease. Tim and Stacy are appreciative of the support and love that has always been extended to them and respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

Tim Wakefield, a rare knuckleball pitcher, was a member of the Boston Red Sox teams that won World Series in 2004 and 2007. He also gave up one of the most famous home runs in Yankees history — Aaron Boone’s extra-inning walk-off in the thrilling 2003 ALCS.

Wakefield retired in 2012 at age 44 after a 19-year career, 17 of them with Boston.

Off the field, Tim and Stacy Wakefield were known for their service to community and support of numerous causes. Together they raised money for groups such as the Red Sox Foundation and the Jimmy Fund childhood cancer charity, visiting with pediatric patients as well.

The couple leaves behind two children, Trevor and Brianna, both now in their 20s, according to ESPN.

“We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come,” the Wakefield family said. “We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life.”

With News Wire Services