Saundra Ann Shodiya, was born October 6, 1949, and passed away on June 16, 2024, in Ventura, California. Saundra was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Hamilton High School and attended school in Los Angeles for both middle and elementary school. As a teenager and young adult, she directed and sang in many choirs in the Los Angeles area, including James Cleveland’s choir - one of the most influential choirs in the African American gospel tradition.
Saundra held many different professions during her lifetime and yet they all centered around her passion as a helper. After high school, she took nursing classes and worked as a nurse at the VA for several years. She later went to work as a secretary and later a facilities planner at the Chancellor’s Office of the California State University system. She worked at the Chancellor’s Office for almost twenty years and during that time, oversaw the vision and execution of numerous buildings across twelve CSU campuses. After leaving the CSU system, she realized her dream of becoming a corrections officer by working at the Orange County Juvenile Justice System as a deputy probation officer for over a decade until her retirement. As she worked, she also honored her love for learning and value for education by earning a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Human Services, both from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
She is survived by her son Andre Scott, daughter Shola Shodiya-Zeumault, and son-in-law Andre Zeumault. No one could argue that the lights of her life were her three grandsons, Traveric Scott, Camdyn Scott, and Kavi Zeumault. She was preceded in death by her oldest son, Marc Anthony, two sisters Dorothy Powdrill and Joyce Brown, and her mother Ruby Lee Jackson.
Arrangements are under the direction of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, Ventura.