Cornelia "Nelly" Gail Sanford

Cornelia “Nelly” Gail Sanford of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed away at home on Saturday, February 21st. Nelly was born October 11, 1956 in Fort Polk, Louisiana to Elfriede “Hilda” and Owen “Willie” Ashworth. She was the middle child of five with two older siblings, Ingrid and Heinz, and two younger sisters, Anita and Angela. Education was important to her mother and evident in Nelly, who eventually held a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education along with two Masters - Special Education and School Psychology. She raised two daughters from her first marriage, Ashley and Elise, and later adopted Jason into their home. She met the love of her life, Joel Sanford, in 2000 in New Orleans, and they recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Her last greatest loves were her four grandchildren. She lived the first 52 years of her life in Louisiana and carried this culture to Colorado in 2008 through sharing of food and hosting gatherings. Her love of music and passion for service of God and others propelled her path through life. She was a choir director, youth group leader, music educator, and organist for her churches starting at age 15 and into her sixties. She served not only through music but with numerous mission trips to Uganda and Tanzania, Haiti, Peru, Puerto Rico, and post-Katrina New Orleans. She formed lasting relationships on these adventures and ensured continued support to a beloved nurse of Uganda, Stella, and her local pharmacy. Locally, she helped displaced immigrant families navigate new lives through ESL tutoring, driving lessons, and countless meetings for school and medical advocacy. Nelly was passionate about forming connections with God, family, friends, and people in need. She organized host families for the Watoto Choir of Uganda on their visits to Colorado, and she formed the Heseder Group at Saint John’s Lutheran Church, inspiring young and old to take up their calling for how they can help the world. She was willing to feed and host anyone and was known for “taking in strays.” She wished nothing more than for a loving world in which people take care of one another. Nelly’s silent strength was evident in her 21 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She never wavered in her faith and was able to continue an active lifestyle through the dedicated efforts of Dr. Lynn Matthew of UC Health and Dr. Jason Henry of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, for which the family will be forever grateful. A service for Nelly will be held Friday, March 6 at 2 pm (MST) at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. Service can be viewed online at Memorials - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (https://our-saviours.org/memorials/). In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Stella’s pharmacy, Watoto Choir, or the LCMS Mercy Medical Teams. Checks or online payments can be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church of Fort Collins with the note “Nelly Sanford Memorial Fund.” Giving - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church (https://our-saviours.org/breeze-giving-form/).

Cornelia "Nelly" Gail Sanford

February 21, 2026