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Personal Recollections of Sandy Meyers
by Terry Flaherty, Sandy’s Aunt and Big Sister
Although Sandy is Gerry’s niece, I’ve always considered her my little sister. She was not quite two years old when I moved across the street from her family in 1959. At fourteen, I was the perfect age to babysit for her and her brothers Dan, 10, Jon, 9, and Jeff, 7. Growing up with those three rough and tumble older brothers taught Sandy to be a tough little cookie. Not so many years ago she was horrified when I showed her a small scar on my wrist where she once bit me.
A year later, those three brothers dragged me across the street to their doorstep. Their Uncle Gerry, on leave from San Diego, was visiting. They rang the doorbell and ran, leaving me standing there. He graciously invited me in, and we sat on the sofa to talk. Sandy climbed up between us, stood beside him and wrapped one arm around his neck. The look she gave me clearly told me he was HER uncle.
When Gerry and I later married a few years later, I was officially her aunt. Our lives were even more intricately interwoven. Sandy has always been a special part of our life.
At our wedding, Sandy was our beautiful little Flower Girl. There is a photo of her gazing at our wedding cake, and it shows just how sweet she looked. I recall getting ready for the wedding with my bridal party at my Mom’s. Sandy, just five, was quickly bored and, being a very curious child, she began opening drawers just a bit to peek inside. My mother, whom Sandy considered one of her grandmothers, saw her. She laughed and said, “You little snoop!” Sandy was mortified and never forgot the incident. Embarrassed, she turned to run away, but caught the zipper on the edge of the drawer. It broke, and she was about to have a meltdown. I had made the dress for her, so I was able to repair it quickly. She gave me a bone-crushing hug for coming to her rescue.
Sandy was always creative. For many years, she baked and decorated beautiful cakes. She even made her own wedding cake, modeled after mine from that photo of her with our cake. She brought so much joy to so many people with the cakes she made for their special occasions.
She also expressed her creativity with extraordinary handmade greeting cards, fashioned with love and uniquely designed for each recipient. I loved getting cards from her for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, but Gerry would have preferred that she left out the sprinkles of teeny, tiny colorful stars or bells or other shapes inside the card. All those shiny little bits of brightly colored metallic paper escaped when pulling the card from the envelope, scattering everywhere. But when one floated into view, sometimes days or weeks later, it brought a joyful burst of memory of our sweet Sandy.
Only recently we were going through photos with our daughter Vicki in Iowa. It brought back memories of so many shared wonderful times – hanging out at 1918 Mariposa Way or 2527 Amberwood Drive; celebrating Vicki’s college graduation, both of our kids weddings, and the many visits she and Gary made to see us in Virginia and Texas.
We loved Gary the minute we met him. He was so good for Sandy. They were always such fun to be around: lighthearted, easygoing, and adventurous. Gary had a wicked sense of humor and could find the funny side of any situation. He adored Sandy and showed it in so many ways.
What a blessing when Richard arrived in October 1989! They had been married for more than ten years when he came along. What a thrill for me to become his Godmother.
Of course, Sandy’s life, like most, was not always filled with light and laughter. Caring for her aging parents was a challenge, but losing Gary right when Richard graduated from college was absolutely devastating for her. Within a few weeks of his passing, she nearly died. She spent a long time in the hospital and many months at home recovering.
Since Gary died in 2013, she and Richard hadn’t taken a real vacation – until July 9th when they drove to Oregon to spend an entire week with her Aunt Mary Derby. Mary called us after they left to tell us what a wonderful visit they had. They went somewhere every day. A highlight of the trip was a 36-mile jet boat ride down the Rogue River and back. They all got soaking wet and loved it. They drove to Crater Lake where they walked, explored, and enjoyed the fresh air. They visited nearby historic Jacksonville and the Covered Bridge at Rogue River. They played cards every night. When they went shopping, Sandy found a bright burnt orange Tee shirt - the same color as her HHR car –– AND her hair – adding to her collection of other tops that color.
So when Richard called us, we expected to hear all about the trip. Instead she was gone.
Her last days were filled with such joy; spent enjoying life to the fullest with two people she dearly loved. Perhaps it was just a preview of what waited for her on the other side.
[Special thanks to Artisha (Flaherty) Carle for reading this for me at the services on August 3rd, 2023].