Dearly Departed

Sandra, known as Sandy to her family, was one of the lucky ones. Although she was taken too soon, she lived her life to the fullest. She had a beautiful, fun-filled childhood in a family that always made her feel loved, appreciated, and full. Her parents, Mike and Angela, showed her from a young age the meaning of true love. Mike taught her that she could be and do anything that she wanted. He taught her how to be an independent thinker, gave her a love of music, and taught her to not be afraid to try new things. Angela showed her that life is more fun if you occasionally get into mischief. She taught her daughter to see the best in people, gave her a love of books and reading, and instilled her with the ethic to always leave a place better than you found it. Both her parents gave her a deep appreciation of nature, which she carried with her in every aspect of her life. Sandra’s older brother, Kyle, was her constant companion in the early years, and was her very best friend throughout her life. Kyle always made his sister laugh harder than anyone else could, taught her (often by example) how to stay out of trouble, showed her the importance of keeping an open mind, and how not to take life too seriously.

Sandra was ambitious, adventurous, thoughtful, resilient, and kind. She tried to live her life full of gratitude for the privileges she was given and the success she received. With everything her family and friends had taught her, Sandra graduated with honors from the University. She moved to Montana in search of adventure and found bicycling, which changed her lifestyle and opened up a fulfilling career path that eventually lead her back to Kentucky. She earned a master’s degree from the University and worked hard to make her alma mater a safer, more sustainable, and healthier environment by changing both infrastructure and human behavior.

Sandra was 27 when she met the love of her life in her husband, Michael. Michael swept Sandra off her feet from day one, and she was thankful every day for a partner who matched her toe to toe in passion, drive, humor, wit, and love, and who challenged her to push herself. The best days of Sandra’s life were these past four and a half years, adventuring on whitewater rivers throughout the country, sitting around the campfire outside of their van, and exploring new places with Michael by her side. There are no words that can fully capture the love they shared. It was a love that many people spend their whole lives chasing. It was rooted in a deep understanding and compassion toward each other, and a willingness to grow and change together. Michael taught her that every day can be an adventure, and that every day is an opportunity to learn something new. Her only regret in life was not getting to grow old by his side.

Sandra’s life was beautiful, happy, and well-lived. Although she was not a spiritual person, Sandra believed that when we die, the atoms in our bodies eventually disperse into the universe and become the fabric of new creations, and she was comforted by the knowledge that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only altered in form. She wanted to leave you all with this quotation by Marcus Aurelius, which states “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not afraid.”