Sandra Elaine McInvale Horton, 85, of Ayden, North Carolina, peacefully passed away on May 25, 2026.

Sandra was born in Reynolds, GA, on August 12, 1940, to N.T. and Nettie Louise McInvale. She married Joe Rodgers of Butler in 1957 and the same year welcomed their son, Joseph Michael. In 1968, Sandra and Joe adopted their daughter, Ruth Elaine

As a Marine Corps family, Sandra and Joe lived in Georgia, North Carolina, Southern California, and Hawaii before settling in their home town of Butler following Joe’s retirement. While living with Sandra and Joe, their daughter Elaine tragically died in a car accident in 1993. Shortly thereafter, Sandra and Joe moved to Milledgeville, Georgia.

Sandra earned her GED and became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1976 through Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In 1984 she graduated as a Registered Nurse from Macon Junior College Georgia. She worked at a local hospital, a prison system nurse, and became Director of Nursing at a local nursing home.

After Joe died in 2004, Sandra relocated to Ayden, North Carolina, to be closer to her son. There, she met and later married Pete Horton, a retired United States Air Force veteranuntil his death in 2017.

Sandra enjoyed fishing and gardening, crossword and picture puzzles, and had a lifelong love of storytelling and a desire to write a novel.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Joe Rodgers and Pete Horton; her daughter, Elaine; and her brother, Jimmy. She is survived by her son, Michael, and his wife, Mary of Raleigh, NC; her sisters, Patsy of Reynolds, Georgia, and Frieda of Columbia, Maryland; and extended family and friends who will cherish her memory.

In lieu of flowers please donate generously to your local animal support organization.