Sandra "Sondra" (Wartel) Friedman, age 75, wife of Charles "Chuck" Friedman, formerly of Doylestown Pennsylvania, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, passed away on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 after a courageous 5 year battle with ALS. Born on April 28, 1945 in Middletown, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late Dorothy (Greenberg) and Matthew Wartel.

After graduating from Boston University with a degree in Art History, Sondra travelled extensively throughout Europe, and returned to Boston, Massachusetts to manage one of the oldest Art Galleries in the country. She married her husband in 1968, and opened The Sondra Friedman Art Gallery in Philadelphia in 1975. She later went on to earn her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and, as a Licensed Social Worker, established her own private Marriage and Family Counseling practice in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Sondra loved to travel the world, especially to exotic locations, such as China, Thailand, India, South Africa, and several countries in Central and South America.

While traveling through Mexico on an art tour 51 years ago, Sondra fell in love with the 500-year-old colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico's central highlands, known for its baroque Spanish architecture, thriving arts scene, and cultural festivals, and she always dreamed of returning there. After 35 years of residency in Doylestown, Sondra and Chuck moved to San Miguel in 2011, and remained there until their recent move to Montgomery County to enable Sondra to better deal with her illness.

In 2015, Sondra's life was forever altered when her speech patterns began changing, and in 2016, she was finally diagnosed with ALS, a debilitating neuro-muscular disease. The first thing to be affected was her voice, and when she totally lost her ability to speak, she needed to find an outlet for her emotions, and a creative focus to fill her time.

In 2016, while in San Miguel, she began working with a highly experienced instructor who helped develop her skills in lamp work beads--- a type of glass work where a torch is used to melt the glass and form the beads, which she then made into jewelry: bracelets, necklaces, and pendants.

In 2018 (and having never held a paintbrush before), she looked to painting as another creative outlet in an effort to maintain and strengthen her dexterity. Using watercolors as her medium, she chose to focus on a subject that fascinates many people, both in the United States as well as Mexico ---the exquisite colibri (hummingbirds) that are found everywhere in San Miguel de Allende. Her initial efforts in capturing the colibri on paper were remarkably successful and, as she continued to paint, she was fortunate enough to sell her hummingbird paintings at The Biblioteca (Public Library) in San Miguel, and donate all the proceeds to the ALS Association in Philadelphia as a modest contribution towards its critical support and vital research.

Painting these delightful creatures required fine, detailed brush strokes, but the ongoing loss of strength in her arms and hands soon made this difficult, if not impossible. Sondra then adjusted her painting technique, and changed the focus of her subject matter to things like flowers, street scenes, and building facades, which required less detailed attention, and could be painted with broader brush strokes. Sadly, and all too quickly, what she was able to accomplish in a day or two soon took several days-sometimes weeks. But the pleasure she received from seeing her finished works---and the encouragement she got from her family and friends ---gave her the strength to keep picking up her brushes until she was no longer able to do so……

In addition to her loving husband, Sondra is survived by her children: Jason A. Friedman, and his partner, Aisha Kent, of Hinesburg, VT and Alexis, and her two children, Anaya and Marcus; brother: Lawrence, husband of Sheila Wartel, of Woodbridge, CT; and brother-in-law: Robert, husband of Barbara Friedman, of West Hartford, CT.

A Celebration of Sondra's Life will be planned (both here and in San Miguel) for a time when family and friends can gather safely together. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Sondra's name to The ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter, 321 Norristown Road - Suite 260, Ambler, PA 19002. Arrangements are being handled by the Cattermole - Klotzbach Funeral Home, Royersford. Condolences may be offered online at www.RoyersfordFuneralHome.com