Obituary of Sandra L. Wagner

Hoquiam resident Sandra L. “Sandy” Wagner, age 68, passed away at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington, on January 9, 2014 following a brief battle with brain cancer. Sandy was born November 18, 1945 in Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon, to Adolph Rudolph and Mary Josephine (Ker) Wagner. Sandy was predeceased by her father, Adolph, as well as several of her favorite aunts, uncles and cousins. She is survived by her mother, Mary; her son, Rick (Alisha) Calloway; her daughter, Kathleen (Rocky) Calloway; her sister, Pamela (Tim) Dierickx; grandchildren, Rachel (Lorne) Beatty, Kailey (Benjamin) Miller, Nicole (James) Jacobs, Audrey (Wes) Carlson, and Jada and Josi Calloway; great-grandchildren, Matthew Beatty, Kenjamin Miller and Madilynn Jo Grant; her favorite nieces, Barb, Jacquie, Chelle and their families; and her favorite nephew, Thomas, and his wife; plus many of her favorite aunts, uncles and cousins. Sandy is also survived by her PIL (Partner In Life) for the past 27 years, Bev Miller of Hoquiam, and her “other” kids, Mike and Tanya; grandkids, Damon and Chaz; and great-grandson, Noah, and their respective families. She would be upset if her current “favorite” puppies, Chewy and Chase, were not mentioned, as she loved and cared for them each and every day. Sandy spent her youth in Burns and Baker City, Oregon, before moving to Everett, Washington in 1973. For over 36 years, Sandy worked in various capacities for not-for-profit law firms (Northwest Washington Legal Services, Evergreen Legal Services, Columbia Legal Services and Earthjustice), helping teams of people provide legal services to low-income people and the environment. She took great pride in her work for those organizations, but she was ready for retirement. In October 2009, she moved from Shoreline, Washington to the home she and Bev had been working on in Hoquiam. Sandy had many interests in life. She loved to work in her yard and took great pride in her home, which was always open to visitors. She always seemed to be in the middle of a project of some sort. She crocheted, embroidered, and sewed gifts for family members in the hopes they would think of her when they used the item… and she didn’t want the gifts “stuffed in a drawer somewhere.” She enjoyed quilting and, in addition to some heirloom quilts, had made two of them, along with other craft items, for the team she was on (Johnson’s Jems) to raise funds at the annual Relay for Life of Grays Harbor event, just one of her many “causes.” Sandy meant so very much to so many people. She was tirelessly committed to her family, making sure everyone else was taken care of before she took care of herself. She usually had a smile on her face…or there was one close at hand and ready to break out with little prompting. She frequently would say, “It is what it is!”…but underneath it all, you knew she wanted “it” to be just right. Researching her family history had always been an important part of Sandy’s life and, through the Internet, she was able to connect with family members like never before, some of whom she never knew existed and others with whom she had lost touch. She found great joy in renewing and making those connections. She was also helping other people with their research and had recently become a member of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society. Sandy was known as a “super good cook” who never followed a recipe…and there was always room at her table for another person or two. The smell of her home-cooked meal actually helped sell the house she and Bev shared in Shoreline! She enjoyed serving up a cup of her clam chowder with some homemade bread, and she could hardly believe that, since moving to “the beach,” she had an abundance of clams in the freezer. If you left her house without a jar of pickles, salsa or sauerkraut, it was your own fault! People who knew Sandy agree that the world we live in will never be quite the same without her. Her ready smile always seemed to “lighten the load” of the person to whom it was directed. She very much lived by treating everyone the way she wished to be treated. She was “directionally-challenged,” “hanger-dyslexic,” had her own dictionary, and never did remember the punch line to a joke…but she was the kindest person ever and she has left a large hole in the lives and hearts of those she loved. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of your choice or to her favorite cause: RelayForLifeofGraysHarbor.org We miss you, Sandy Wagner. You will forever be in our hearts. Tribute to Sandy “It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing the news that Sandy Wagner, the former office manager for the Northwest office, passed away this morning after a quick and aggressive bout with cancer. For those of you who knew her, her picture should remind you of her warm smile, her incredible energy, and her hearty laugh. She joined the office in 2004 and completely won me over in the interview. I was asking all the probing questions and she said this was only the second job she had ever applied for and the first was 30 years prior. She felt she has blown the interview but clearly not. She worked for us for five and a half years, redid our systems and fully made her mark. Most of all, she forged deep and lasting friendships with others in the office. Apart from her work with us, she has a beloved partner, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She lived a great life and will be missed.” – Patty Goldman, Earthjustice VP for Litigation, Seattle, January 9, 2014 Please leave memories of Sandy or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.