Mary Elizabeth “Merle” Sanford, 80, of Portsmouth, got her wings to fly home on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, with her family at her side. Mary was born on October 12, 1945, in Osaka, VA, to the late Cleophas and Helen Harrison Greene Robinson (Roberson).
A 1963 Portsmouth High School graduate, she had been the coordinator of the Community Action Organization of Scioto County Day Care Center. Mary then went on to receive an LPN license from the Shawnee State School of Nursing and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Rio Grande. She worked as an LPN at SOMC and she was an RN at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and retired as nursing supervisor after 20 years of service. She had also worked as an instructor for the Red Cross and as supervisor for Horizon Health Care.
A dedicated community servant, she volunteered as a tutor and mentor at the 14th Street Community Center, mentored for the Scioto County Juvenile Court System, was a foster grandparent at the CAO Head Start, and volunteered for Wings of Hope in various programs including volunteering as an instructor for youth cooking classes during the Summer Outreach Program, and their Catchers Mitt Tutoring Program which she was very passionate about.
Mary was a member of the Sheba Chapter #14 Order of Eastern Star for over 50 years, a member of the Cultural Affairs Committee for the City of Portsmouth, as well as a member of the MLK Committee. She served as Treasurer for the Executive Board of PIDC and she was a faithful member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church where she served as Finance Administrator, sang in the Praise Team and founded the Hospitality and Prison Card Ministries.
Surviving are her daughters, Darlyna Sanford of Columbus and Cortney Sanford of Portsmouth; two brothers, Cleophas (Zeda) Roberson, Jr. of Columbus and Wilbert Jordan of Portsmouth; five sisters, Doris Johnson, Jeanette Langford, Patricia Oliver, Wilma Jordan and Yvette Jordan, all of Portsmouth; two granddaughters, Jordan Sanford and Ayshia Slaughter, both of Columbus; and many nieces, nephews and their families.
In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by two siblings, Kenneth Roberson Sr. and Linda Goodman.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 P.M. on Friday, March 20, 2026, at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1134-13th St., Portsmouth, and from 10 to 11 A.M. on Saturday at Christ’s Community Church, 2433-25th St., Portsmouth, OH 45662.
The Nurse Honor Guard of the River Cities will honor Mary on Saturday at 10:15 A.M., followed by an Eastern Star Service at 10:30 A.M.
Funeral services with Facebook Livestream will be held at 11 A.M. on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Christ’s Community Church with Bishop Harold Bell officiating. To join the livestream, please visit the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home Facebook page. Interment will be in Scioto Burial Park.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home in Portsmouth.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Wings of Hope, 1204-13th St., Portsmouth, OH 45662, www.mywingsofhope.org.
Wings of Hope is a non-profit, youth based organization focused on instilling resilience, leadership, and life skills to adolescents in Portsmouth, Ohio.
