Sandy and I
met when I was 21 and she was 17. We met
in September. I had just graduated from
the University of La Verne and Sandy from Wilson High School. I was working at William Pitt Jewelers in the
Puente Hills Mall, and Sandy and her mom Judi were shopping for a ring for her
18th birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. I had just moved into Hacienda Heights, and
was getting ready to start Law School at Southwestern University in Los Angeles. Judi likes to embellish the story and say
that I jumped over the counter to get to them.
I like to tease Judi by telling her that once she found out I was a Law
School Student, she was quick to put the ring on lay-a-way so that I would have
Sandy’s number! The truth is probably
somewhere in the middle – I did hustle in those days as I do now, knowing I wasn’t
the best salesperson, student, or athlete – but that I could outwork my peers
and try to help everyone first who came into the store! Regardless, the spark was there and Judi did
put the ring on lay-a-way so that I had Sandy’s phone number. When Judi came to pick up the ring I gave her
a cheesy plastic flower to give to Sandy, and I did indeed call Sandy on her
birthday to wish her a Happy Birthday and to ask her out! On our first date, which was on September 27th
– our Wedding Anniversary – we went to the movies. After I dropped her off I drove about a half
a mile, and then my crummy car broke down.
I went back to Sandy’s house, but Sandy wouldn’t come to the door
because she had already taken off her make up!
Her dad Marv then helped me with the car. Little did Marv know that it was just the
first of many times he would be helping me with car and mechanical issues! We dated for 3 years before we got engaged,
and then a year later got married on September 27th, 1986. I had flunked out of Law School by then, but
managed to get my MBA. Sandy would say
she married her bad boy – I would simply say I was just a poor kid from Baldwin
Park, and a little rough around the edges.
She might have been right. While
we were dating and first married, we attended Hacienda Heights Baptist Church,
Sandy’s home Church. We grew in our
faith, (mine having been pretty weak) and in our marriage. Dr. Bill Tipton and his wife Cathye were
instrumental in our growth. We ate a lot
of top Raman and Ragu – for entertainment we would have friends over for pizza
and a movie, or we would be playing basketball, volleyball, or softball on a
HHBC team. Sandy would never enjoy the
car rides home when we lost, and was always trying to refine my language by
instituting monetary fines – that didn’t go over very well, but it did help us
save money. I started with Allstate the
same year we were married. Eventually
she started working with Libbey Glass in the accounting department. We struggled in an apartment for two years,
and at one point couldn’t save money fast enough to keep pace with the rising
cost of buying a house in the late 80’s.
I distinctly remember opening the fridge one time and there was nothing
in it but a pitcher of water. We bought
our first house in Rowland Heights that was for sale by owner – I think he felt
sorry for us, and wanted his house to go to this poor young couple. It needed so much work – you should have seen
Marv’s face when we showed it to him! Family
and friends worked right alongside with us to fix the house up. 2 years later we sold it and moved to La
Verne – a place I loved since college.
It was right around this time we were invited to Glenkirk by Cindy Axton
who was Sandy’s boss at Libbey Glass.
Well, you more or less know the rest……….
Sandy is the
most courageous and inspiring person I ever met. I have never met anyone who lived her faith
like she did. She wasn’t a perfect
person, but she was genuine. She was
tough. Tough beyond description – there
was a lot of pain that others just didn’t see.
Her attitude and her faith in the face of her cancer were
incredible. She felt that this was her
God given purpose in life – to encourage and inspire others, and to share the
good news about Jesus Christ with others through her cancer. She loved her children, her family, and her
friends deeply – but honestly, she loved Jesus Christ more. I know that’s going to bother some people –
sometimes it bothered me. (Usually when
I was doing the dishes or the laundry, and she was working on her Blog!) Sandy had her priorities straight – she knew
the difference between what was important and what was merely urgent. She worked very hard at not playing “the
cancer card” and keeping things as normal as possible, for as long as
possible. There is not a lot that I
could have you say that others won’t be mentioning today about Sandy, and some
things are just meant to be private. I
do want you to tell people not to feel sorry for my family. We have been extremely blessed. We have had a great marriage, and great
experiences. We have been blessed with
two great children whose character and personality have been forever etched by
Sandy. If you miss Sandy, look no
further than to my girls. There you will
find her. We have had fun. Yes, even with the cancer. Sandy and I could always find something funny
about her conditions or treatments – there was humor and laughter everywhere we
looked. We have had a great life
together, yet we know that we are just passing through this one. Better things await the believer, and as
usual, Sandy is leading the way for me……...
Jon
