Jerri Bright Sanders, who will always be remembered as “Mimi”, passed away on Monday, August 23, 2010. A longtime resident of Beaumont, she was born in Center, Texas on November 9, 1933. She leaves behind four sons, Joe, Steve, Ben, and Kenneth; a beloved sister, Theda; dear cousins, Candace and Richard; four grandchildren, Erin, Amy, Wes, Jonathan; two great-grandchildren, Grant and Ava; and a host of friends and loved ones all over the state of Texas.
Jerri was, first and foremost, a mother to her children. She spent many years working the PTAs at both Regina-Howell Elementary and George C. Marshall Junior High. She once spent hours cutting, gluing, and putting together enough felt pennants so that every child in the fifth grade at Regina-Howell could have one. In addition to raising her four son, she was an acclaimed star of the theater, a published poet, and an outstanding chef.
Mimi devoted a large part of her life to the arts and she was, in many ways, a true artist. As owner of the Center Stage Theater, she directed, produced, or starred in over fifty productions such as “The Octet Bridge Club”, “Star on the Door”, and “The Female Odd Couple”. Her work was consistently praised by the Beaumont Enterprise and her shows were always almost “Standing Room Only”. Her work as a poet is featured in the book Raising Black Flags. Her poem, “So Ye Want to be a Pirate?” tells the tale of an old, beaten-down pirate who warns a young lady about the true nature of a pirate’s life. She also loved to paint and there are hundreds of her “Grandma Trees” across the country.
She left a legacy of creativity in her sons. Jerri was married to Don Sanders for thirty-eight years and that union produced four talented young men. Joe sculpts wood and clay and, as the owner of a construction company, creates new living spaces every day. Steve works with beads to create jewelry and is also a published poet. Ben is a talented musician but also writes poetry and creates imaginative wooden picture frames. Finally, Kenneth is a world class guitarist who teaches guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, and music theory.
Next to her boys, what Mimi loved best was cooking. Everything from paella to veal cutlets in cream gravy to gourmet chalupas to stone pie, Jerri was definitely an artist in the kitchen. Her Christmas parties were legendary, her Thanksgiving feast were delights, her fig cake was like manna from Heaven, but even a simple dinner at this incredible cook’s home was a culinary event fit for royalty. She started a cookbook which was to be filled with all of her favorite recipes, but, being the woman that she was, she never spent the time on her own life that was needed to finish this great work. Who knows? Maybe one of her grandkids, or her great grandkids, will take up the challenge and complete this Herculean task.
In “As You Like It”, William Shakespeare wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, …” Jerri Sanders, mother, actress, poet, chef, and friend, has left the stage. She has taken her final bow in this theater and Mimi now moves on to a grander and more glorious stage. But she will be remembered not as a “mere player” but someone who made a difference in this world, someone who made this play funnier and sadder and more meaningful and a better show all around. Jerri Sanders will be missed, dearly, as she accepts her last Earthly rose and exits the stage with her head held high, a smile on her face, and her eyes shining in the spotlight.
Love you, see you soon, Steve
Her funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 27, 2010, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont, with burial to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. A gathering of her family and friends will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 26, 2010, at Broussard’s.
Memorial contributions may be made to Southeast Texas Humane Society, P.O. Box 1629, Beaumont, Texas 77704.
