Sandra Lynn Raschke was born on June 11, 1957, in Newnan, Georgia to William Edwin Tillison and Margaret Ann Church Tillison.  Lynn grew up in Marietta, Georgia and would become a dedicated and lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In 1975, Lynn graduated from R.L. Osborne Senior High School, in Marietta, Georgia. She then attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.  After graduating, she accepted a job offer in Houston to teach in Spring Branch Independent School District.  After her first year of teaching, Lynn accepted an assignment to serve God on an 18-month mission in Santiago, Chile.   It was through this mission of service and immersion, she became fluent in Spanish which would serve her career as a teacher and was a tremendous benefit to her beloved Katy community. When she returned to Houston from her mission, she went to work for Houston Independent School District, where she taught elementary education for four years.  Then, she joined Katy Independent School District, where she taught for two years at Sundown Elementary School, ten years at Zelma Hutsell Elementary School, and 14 years at Robert King Elementary School, where she officially retired in 2015.  During her 31-year teaching career, she mostly taught in kindergarten through second grade, but her greatest passion was working with kindergarteners. With her fluency in Spanish, Lynn was an exceptional Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher, helping many children gain a language foundation for their education and the rest of their lives.  Even after her retirement in 2015, she felt called to continue helping children and soon returned to the classroom as a long term substitute teacher, working nearly the same long hours as she had before retiring.

Lynn was a well-known teacher and everyone loved her. Her instinctive compassion and animated manner of teaching assisted all of her students throughout the years to develop a love for her determination and attention. One student she had taught, who had become an Ivy League graduate, gave a speech at a teachers’ conference, mentioning Lynn as the most influential teacher she had throughout all of her years of schooling. This former student wasn’t the only one though; many former students that Lynn had taught talked about Lynn being their favorite teacher.

Her passion for teaching others also included teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults in night classes and teaching Primary and Youth Women in her church.

On June 14, 1986, Lynn married Randall Raschke in Dallas, Texas. Together they shared a beautiful life and had three children: Karl, Emily, and Michael.  Lynn was an exceptionally loving mother, a wonderful wife, and a true matriarch of her family.  Lynn was an angel in Randall’s eyes and those of her children.  Always looking for the positive, she stubbornly refused to see the bad in anyone and was an extremely forgiving person.  Lynn was close to all of her children and was very involved in their lives.  Her children will tell you that she would always stop what she was doing and take time to listen attentively to whatever was on their mind.  She loved to hear about their day or about anything that was on their mind.  Lynn had a loving heart that was pure and full of positivity. She was a gracious woman who was selfless and devoted.  Lynn was an exceptional cook, a strong and independent woman, and someone who was always wanting to give and care for others.

Sandra Lynn Raschke passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2020, at her home in Katy, Texas at 62 years of age.

She is survived by her loving husband of 34 years, Randall Raschke of Katy; her children, Karl Raschke and his wife Tiffany of Katy, Emily Holcomb and her husband JJ of Rexburg, Idaho and Michael Raschke and his wife Sara of New Braunfels, Texas; her grandchildren, Paisley Holcomb, Jameson Holcomb, Rosie Raschke and one on the way, Camila Raschke; her brothers, Richard Tillison of Marietta, Georgia and David Tillison and his wife Marlene of Cartersville, Georgia; and numerous other loving family members and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Edwin Tillison and Margaret Ann Church Tillison; and by her sister, Nancy Gay Tillison.

 The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 5, 2020, at the Schmidt Funeral Home Grand Parkway Chapel, in Katy, where funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2020, with Bishop Jim Cline officiating.

To express condolences, please visit www.SchmidtFuneralHome.net

Funeral services held under the direction of:

Schmidt Funeral Home
1344 W. Grand Parkway South  ~  Katy, Texas  77494  ~  (281) 391-2424