Sandra Lynn Banacka

Sandra Lynn Banacka, age 72 years of Niles, Michigan, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, gardener, cook, and active church lady died Wednesday morning, October 25, 2023 with her family at her bedside at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, Indiana following an extended illness.

She was born on January 30, 1951 in South Bend, Indiana to Robert W. and Betty J. (Sowers) Darr, and was graduated from Penn High School in Mishawaka.  She continued her education at Ivy Tech, and began a career in the office of the former SCI Alarm, Inc. in South Bend, from which she retired after 23 years of service.  She has lived in this area all of her life.

Sandy was a member of the First Baptist Church of Niles, where she participated in many activities, including the crafting sessions.  She enjoyed bus tours with her husband through Michigan, the New England states, and the Atlantic Ocean coast.

At home, she maintained a garden of a variety of flowers, and was a master of the kitchen, making every recipe taste great, and specializing in a dessert – Cherry Delight – which was eagerly awaited both at home and at church pot-luck meals.  Her greatest joy was caring for her family.

On November 27, 1971 at the Coalbush United Methodist Church in Mishawaka she married Theodore R. Banacka with whom she celebrated the remarkable Fifty-first anniversary of their wedding.

Surviving family includes her husband, Ted Banacka and their daughters, Kimberly Ann Banacka and Angela Lynn (& Dennis) Wilson II, both of Niles; grandchildren Aubrey Marie Wilson and Brayden Lee Wilson; Sandy’s brothers, Roger William (& Virginia) Darr of Longwood, Florida and Bruce Wayne (& Nancy) Darr of Mishawaka; several nieces and nephews; and Ted’s mother, Gwendolyn Banacka of South Bend.

The Memorial Service for Sandy Banacka will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023 at the First Baptist Church, 1446 East Main Street in Niles, with the Rev. Mark Youngberg of the church officiating.  Committal will be private, at a later date, at Saint Joseph Valley Memorial Park in Granger, Indiana.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Monday, at the church, beginning at 10:00 a.m.  Contributions in memory of Sandy may be made to First Baptist Church, 1446 East Main Street, Niles, Michigan 49120, https://fbconnection.org/.  Arrangements were completed at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  Online condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Sandy loved life, and loved the people in her life, taking the calls at the alarm company, serving at church, and caring for her family; all evidence of fulfilling the command to Love God and love people.