Sandra Lee (vonVelsen) Cleary, 81, of Hingham, formerly of Michigan, passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2024.

Sandra was born in New York on December 24, 1942 to Walter and Eunice (Anderson) vonVelsen, along with her twin sister Carole vonVelsen, The family moved to Grand Rapids and then on to Detroit. Sandra went to high school at Redford High and along with her sister attended attended Wayne State University. At Wayne State, Sandra was actively involved in the theater, creative writing and the arts. While at Wayne Stateshe met her husband Jim (James) Cleary and they were married in New York in 1965. They returned to Detroit in early 1967, and their son Jason was born in August of 1967. In 1970 the family moved to ManchesterConnecticut, where they lived until 1971, when they moved to Tampa, Florida. Daughter Sarah was born there in 1971, and moves to Vernon Connecticut, and finally Hingham Massachusetts followed thereafter.

In Hingham Sandra was an active member in the community serving in an elected position on the school committee, and deeply involved in the school system there. She advocated tirelessly for her son Jason, in the school system as well. The family participated in many plays and productions in the community, and enjoyed a rich cultural life.

In the 1980’s Sandra returned to school to pursue a Master’s Degree in Rhetoric at Bridgewater State College where she was Phi Beta Kappa. She pursued a PhD in rhetoric as well, focused on the Public Address of 1960’s civil rights movement. She had a special interest in the famous Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom where the final speech was “Give us the Ballot” given by Martin Luther King which launched him into the national spotlight. In 1986, she interviewed Bayard Rustin, one of Martin Luther King’s close advisors in an extensive in-person interview about the Prayer Pilgrimage and the strategies and tactics of the speeches and orations given by movement leaders to propel the Civil Rights movement forward.

Sandra taught Communications and Rhetoric at Bridgewater State College for many years, garnering positive reviews from her students who were impacted greatly by her teaching and encouragement.

In 1990, Jim had the opportunity to open a branch office for his employer Aetna Insurance Company. Bothbeing avid Shakespeare fans and lovers of all things British, they jumped at the chance. During their three year tenure there, Sandra continued to build on her extensive cooking repertoire incorporating British, Australian and European recipes. They travelled extensively around Europe, Eastern Europe and Great Britain as well as welcoming many friends and family members for visits showcasing their temporarily adopted country. While Sandra impressively did qualify for a UK driver’s license, Jim did most of the driving.

Sandra was one of the most interesting conversationalists you could ever hope to meet, possessing a vast and well-read knowledge about a wide range of subjects, but especially politics and Shakespeare. She was known to go head-to-head with even the most determined of opposing views with great gusto armed with many facts to back up her theses.

She loved reading, was also a gifted gardener and involved in the Hingham Horticultural Society, collected pottery, pursued needlework art - producing well-loved pieces that decorated family member’s homes, and loved to sing. She was a great lover of cats, of whom she had many throughout her life, and in her last years, her tiny dog Freya who gave her great comfort.

She is survived by her husband, James, of Hingham, son, Jason Cleary, of Somerville, and daughter Sarah, of Hingham as well as beloved and numerous nieces, nephews and grand-nephews across the country. Her sister, Carole, preceded her in death in 1996.

Donations in memory of Sandra may be made the MSPCA, 350 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 www.mspca.org