Obituary of Sandra L Chandler
Sandra “Sandy” Leithead Chandler, age 87, of Greenwich, Connecticut and Titusville, PA, died peacefully on February 15, 2022.
Sandy was born on September 30, 1934 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Olive Dale (Booher) and W. Bruce Leithead. She attended Moore Institute of Art and later moved to Darien and Redding, Connecticut to raise her family. She was a master designer, creator and artist and foremost a fabulous mother.
There was never a dull moment! Snapping turtle soup anyone! She made the world a more beautiful place one creation at a time. Hundreds of cakes, decades of T’was the Night Before Christmas, silent night, tree trimming, gift wrapping, lullaby singing, tap dancing, easter basket filling, knitting, sewing, designing, cooking. She designed and made countless gowns for brides, maids, and bridesmaids, plays, and ghosts; she knitted for bathers, skiers, ring bearers, and fundraisers. Her early married years stationed in Ulm Germany gave Mom a fondness for Weissbier, Westphalian ham, bratwurst, chicken cordon Blau and honed her bridge game.
Known for her prodigious gifts as a designer and her eye for similar talent in others, she hired Martha Stewart in 1977 to bake her daughter Pamela’s wedding cake (it was early days for Martha and the cake took on Tower of Pisa-like attributes by the time of cake cutting). Mom, however, did the arrangements, bridesmaids’ gowns, tablecloths, and it all reflected her impeccable eye for beauty and detail.
She bred and showed championship Newfoundlands. Notably she gave Robert Kennedy his beloved dog Brumus, who would later accompany the Senator in the corridors of power. Sandy was an animal whisperer to every dog, cat, African grey parrot, deer, rooster, beta fish, hamster, and pony that crossed her path.
Making the rounds of our neighborhood at Halloween in mom’s creations (Raggedy Ann & Andy a favorite), at evening’s end we would render unto Sandy a few token Reese's peanut butter cups or peppermint patties. At Christmas we each had our own custom stocking. Under the tree we would find bespoke sweaters - of angora or hand-dyed blue yarn from Uruguay - or a personalized needlepoint belt with initials and geese. All stood the test of time, and they are still enjoyed decades later.
Sandy was a big fan of the following: Dusty Rhodes sundaes with Dr. Mike’s chocolate lace & cream ice cream, Mel Torme, Billy Ekstein, Sarah Vaughn, Robert Mitchum, Julia Child, Fred Rogers, Fred Astaire, crème brûlée, a proper Old Fashioned (lots of mulled fruit please), Van Gogh, Vermeer and wildflowers (many drive-by cuttings made with scissors in the car), summers at Van Buren with costumed parades and the drive-in movies. Sandy passed down Doc Booher’s eggnog recipe to grateful succeeding generations. It takes a day to make, a day to age and a week to recover ;-)
Later, she worked many years at L’Armoire in New Canaan with women who shared her eye for quality.
Never one to ever sit still - Sandy was always whistling while she worked (her father was an epic whistler who rivalled der Bingle aka Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby).
A health nut and “green” before her time, she made sure that we dined on homemade yogurt, bean sprouts, wheatgerm, protein shakes, and even the dogs their own stews on cold nights. A big fan of recycling - Sandy instilled a love of antiquing and the thrill of discovering thrift store gems we all share to this day.
Above all we will remember Sandy’s fierce love of family. She was feisty, opinionated, & sometimes a demanding perfectionist! She imbued all of her kids with a love and appreciation of all life’s gifts. One of her sons in law described her as kind, sweet, feisty (there’s that word again), interesting – a lovable dynamo of energy – she will be greatly missed.
She was a true mama bear who urged us by example to take time for the little things that only God sees: homemade soup fed to a dying friend, comfort to a child over a lost pet, repairing a favorite stuffed animal or ballet tutu ravaged by a puppy minutes before a stage performance, and snuggling up for bedtime story reading with her grandchildren. Mom lives on in all of us through the kindness we extend to others every day. If we go astray, we expect she’ll find a way to let us know which direction to turn. If someday a chickadee or a newfie crosses your path - you bet Mom is trying to tell you something: wake up and be alert! Take time to smell the flowers! And if all else fails, sing or whistle.
Sandy was predeceased by her parents, her sister Bonnie L. Brickner and Jacquelyn Scott, she is survived by her siblings W. Bruce “Nick” and Joseph W. “Joe” Leithead, her four children: Pamela Chandler of Essex, Connecticut; Heidi Chandler and partner David Leonard of Mahopac, NY; Toby Chandler and wife Heather of Bayport, NY; and Adrienne Rogatnick and husband Howard of New York, NY; 4 grandchildren Joshua Webber Posey, Lindsey Alexander Salazar, Solomon Oliver Chandler Rogatnick and Abraham Jack Chandler Leonard; 1 great-grandchild, Alexander Victor Salazar and another on the way, Gabby and Rex Bartolini, and lots of nieces and nephews.
A special thank you to the staff at Masonicare in Wallingford, CT and Connecticut Hospice in Branford, CT for their personal and professional care in easing her journey.
A private celebration of her life will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Chautauqua Institution Scholarship Fund at https://giving.chq.org/chq-fund (716-357-6404) or the Crawford Heritage Foundation Scholarship Fund at https://www.crawfordheritage.org/giving/ (814-499-1852).
