Sanford Peter Ceppos, 69 of Raleigh, NC

Passed away in the comfort of his home, in the loving care of his husband, Bryan Courtney Ward , on December 7, 2025.

Sandy was born on December 24, 1955, in Washington, D.C. In addition to his husband, Courtney, surviving are his children; Karin Johnston and husband Christopher of Sanford, FL; Jaimie Francis and husband Charles of Raleigh, NC; Matthew Jones and wife Meredith of Raleigh, NC; and Sara Ceppos of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by his grandchildren Allison Francis, Avery Johnston, Elliott Francis, Michael Jones and Virginia Jones; his brother Larry Ceppos and wife Patricia; and seven nieces and nephews. Sandy was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin Harry Ceppos and Sophia Samusevich Ceppos.

He was also preceded in death by his husband Douglas Jones, who passed in 2016 after a long battle with cancer.  Sandy and Doug traveled, gambled, enjoyed live music, and took great joy in becoming grandparents together. Sandy cared for Doug in the final years of his life with great compassion, gentleness and strength.

Sandy was the original "girl dad" and a true "Mr. Mom". As a child, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he always answered, "a dad". As a father and uncle, he always seemed to be at the kids table in spirit-as if he shared an inside understanding with the children that the adult stuff was boring and he would much rather be playing with them.

He was born with a creative soul, using his many talents to paint, design, decorate, and style hair. He attended the International Institute of Interior Design in Washington, D.C. While not one of his acclaimed talents, he loved to sing, including singing in the church choir. He often joked that when the family sang together, they should be called the "Shut Your Trap Family Singers". He had a deep love of music, fostering in his daughters a great affection for the singer-songwriters of the '60s and '70s.

After a devastating diagnosis of MS, and more than a decade of working for the U.S. Postal Service, he retired on disability in 1990. He relocated to NC with his family and began a new career at Capital Broadcasting Corporation, where he served in the HR department for 30 years.

Following his second retirement, he volunteered his time with the United Arts Council and meticulously cared for his mother through the end of her life. After her passing, he and his husband Courtney established themselves in the tight-knit community of Crabtree Valley Mall Walkers. This community provided support and friendship to Sandy and Courtney, especially through this last year as they navigated Sandy's ALS diagnosis.

In lieu of flowers, the family, kindly requests that donations be made in honor of Sanford Peter Ceppos to the:

National MS Society - https://donate.nationalmssociety.org

ALS Association - https://www.als.org/donate

United Arts Council of Raleigh - https://unitedarts.org/support/donate