Obituary

Sandra Soto Hatfield
(December 19, 1935 - September 13, 2017)

Sandra Soto Hatfield, of Huntington, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, following an extended Illness. She was the wife of C. Donald Hatfield, former publisher and editor of The Herald-Dispatch, who survives her. She was the mother of three children—Lisa, Chris, and Joel, all of whom predeceased her.
     She was an extraordinary woman by any measure—wife, mother, friend to many and supporter to countless persons who needed a helping hand. She was a published poet, an honored community leader and volunteer in two vastly different cities, was appointed to significant commissions by the governors of two states, and was actively involved with two universities.
     She was born in Raleigh County, WV, in December 1935 to Sandy Soto Jr. and Sue Chingle Soto. Both her parents had come from immigrant families, her father’s from Spain, her mother’s from Polish Austria.
     She graduated Valedictorian from Clear Fork High School, cum laud from Marshall University and pursued graduate studies at Marshall and advanced studies at the University of Arizona. While in Huntington, she was appointed by Gov. Jay Rockefeller to the Governor’s Commission on the Disabled and the West Virginia Disability Council. After moving to Tucson AZ she was appointed by Gov. Fife Symington to the Arizona-Mexico Commission, an international commission dedicated to greater understanding on matters involving Arizona and Mexico.
     She and her husband lived in Huntington until 1986, at which time they moved to Tucson, AZ. They returned to be with family in 2008. They also had a summer house in Cape Cod, MA.
      In Huntington she served as chairman of the Stairstep in Residence program supporting West Virginia public schools, on the board of the Huntington Chamber Orchestra, as president of the Huntington chapter of the Alliance Francaise,  as chair of a committee to establish a graduate exchange program between Marshall University and a university in France, and most recently as chair of the Dean’s Council of Marshall’s College of Fine Arts and on the fund-raising committee of the new downtown Marshall Visual Arts Center.
     During her 22 years in Tucson she served on the Tucson Airport Authority, on several advisory boards including the University of Arizona’s Children’s Research Center, Department of Late Medieval Studies, University Libraries, Office of Cultural Affairs, Women’s Studies, UA President’s Council on Minorities, Tucson Symphony, Arizona Theater Company, Tucson Museum of Art, Community Food Bank, Hispanic Professional Action Committee, Silver and Turquoise Society, and was a member of the Tucson Literary Club.
     Her poems have been published in book collections (“Yearbook of Modern Poetry” and “Baseball Diamonds”) and one poem, a tribute to Emily Dickinson, was read at a special event honoring Dickinson in Amherst, MA. A collection of her poetry, “Songs From the Night Blooming Garden,” was published in November 2016 and can be found in stores, gift shops and on Amazon.com.
     She was widely traveled, having spent time in Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, Toronto, and many cities throughout the United States. She accompanied her husband to many meetings and conventions of newspaper publishers and editors, including receptions at the White House, and was often present during speeches and appearances by various presidents.  In turn, he accompanied her on trips to Mexico and other U.S. cities. She met many celebrities in the arts and entertainment world, as well as in government, politics and even athletics, the latter a passion she shared with her husband.
      She was a student of the arts, having studied piano, voice, and dance as a young girl, and playing classical piano, often accompanied by her son, Joel, a violinist. She was a strong supporter of education as well as the arts, and a voracious reader.
     She is survived by her husband, Don, her sisters Shirley (Mrs. Frank) Lusk and Tomasina (Mrs. James) Michel, a niece, Lesley Byrne, two grand nieces, Emily and Meghan Byrne, and a special “unofficial family member,” Tammy Stewart.
     All these are the facts, but they do not come close to portraying the real Sandy Hatfield—the girl forever young, who would never take no for an answer when trying to raise money to help others, who always put family, friends and even strangers before herself, whose heart was huge and full, and whose smile would light up the room. And who, despite the wrenching loss of her children, despite considerable health problems, moved on. As she wrote in her poem “Ashes” following the loss of her two sons only two months apart in 2014:
     “Words wash away/to the sea/the sea which holds dear/those we love./The wise men/followed their star/beyond all that we know./One day soon/we shall wind down/to the sea./Only the cold moon/will light our way/the way of the waves/the way of our love.”
     Visitation is scheduled from 4 pm to 6 pm Sunday, September 17, 2017 at Klingel Carpenter Mortuary, 328 6th Ave., funeral services at 1 pm Monday, September 18, 2017 at First Presbyterian Church, 1015 5th Ave.
    Contributions in her name may be made to the Sandra Soto Hatfield Scholarship Endowment at Marshall University, the Marshall College of Arts and Media, the Huntington Museum of Art, or the charity of one’s choice.
    She will be missed not only by her family, especially her husband of 62 years, but also by countless others who have been touched by her kindness and generosity, from close friends to students benefitting from her own endowed scholarship and another established in honor of her mother.