Obituary of Sandra Sylvia Casey
Sandra Sylvia Casey was born in Lapeer Michigan June 22, 1939 to Dorothy and Roman Pohl. The death of her father when she was two years old was a tragedy of Sandy`s life. Sandy was a brilliant student, completing high school at 16 and graduating from Michigan State University with a BA in Education and French. Throughout her life, Sandy valued education and was proud to be the third generation of women in her family to graduate from university. At MSU, Sandy met and married Gerald Casey with whom she had two children, Joseph and Megan. Sandy worked as a high school French teacher in Michigan before moving to Portland Oregon, with Gerald taking a job there. On July 1, 1967 the family immigrated to Toronto. Sandy loved Canada and all things Canadian, never showing any interest to return to the US. With the dissolution of her marriage, Sandy completed a one-year Bachelor of Library Science degree at University of Toronto, viewing it as a path to a career to support a single-parent family. In 1970, Sandy took a position as a librarian at Queen`s University where she stayed for her entire career, with positions in several departments, finally heading the education library for more than a decade. While at Queen`s, Sandy was President of the Faculty Association, and led the status of women committee. She was also President of the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations. In 1990, Sandy obtained her Doctor of Education degree from U of T, subsequently lecturing in the Faculty of Education while she was a librarian. Serious as this all makes her sound, Sandy`s first priority was family. She was passionate about her cooking and baking to support the growth of her family. As a mother, Sandy was attentive to her children`s` interests, acting as their most ardent booster and advisor. Through her life Sandy had a succession of dogs and cats who were important family members, and whose voices were frequently articulated by Sandy. In retirement Sandy had time to show some of her pure-bred dogs as well as compete in rally obedience trials. Sandy was President of the Limestone City Obedience and Kennel Club, reflecting her love of dogs. Sandy studied creative writing and fibre arts as well as putting great craft into her quilting and knitting. Sandy`s parents met in an amateur orchestra and not surprisingly music was important to her, from high school band to playing French Horn at MSU and learning violin as an adult. A family game was to ask Sandy to name the composition and composer for classical pieces playing on CBC radio. She almost always got it right. Sandy was a devoted grandmother to Sierra and Adam Casey of Edmonton Alberta, and Zoe and Rebecca Eaton of Kingston, hand making Halloween costumes for them and taking great interest and pride in their development. In the cruellest stroke for someone of Sandy`s intellect, Sandy was taken from us in her later years by progressive dementia to which she succumbed on December 28 in Kingston Ontario. Sandy`s unique approach to life and her unwavering support will be very much missed by her children, grandchildren, son in law (Michael Eaton) and daughter in law (Rachel Wevrick).
Arrangements for cremation have been entrusted to James Reid Funeral Home. Memorial donations can be made to Kingston Humane Society in Sandy's honour.
