Sandra Lynne Lundblad - March 12,1949-January 30, 2023. Sandra, beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, passed away while at the Salem Hospital after a period of declining health following heart surgery. Her husband and daughter were in attendance as she passed from this world. She had been a resident of Oregon for over three decades and leaves those who she touched with her wit, sharp insight, creativity and love. She had a lifelong love of learning and the arts.
She was born in Springfield Massachusetts and later lived in Old Saybrook Connecticut where she graduate from High School and entered the working world. During her youth in Old Saybrook she picked up a love of horsemanship and exploring the nearby wild country. She had her own mount named Shadowfax who accompanied her on many adventures. Sandy wore many hats over her working days. Her first noted job was delivering newspapers, sometimes in the snow having a stopping point on the route at a shop once visited by Lafayette. After high school she worked as a telephone operator who would, as one might see in an old movie, use a myriad of cables to connect requested calls.
In 1969 she drove cross-country to Berkeley to pursue a better life. Once there she again worked as a telephone operator but soon found herself at the early stages of the computer revolution. Being in the hometown of the University of California she looked into school but the computer program education was in then School of Engineering she felt rebuffed. Instead she worked with punch card technology. After being on the ground floor of the information revolution she moved on to Southern California and the business world.
She worked in database management for several big companies. Rising in the ranks she moved from house to house making profits along the way eventually settling in Huntington Beach. She told many stories about fun she and her colleagues had after work and on weekends tried back-packing, skiing, and fun runs. She enjoyed big events like the 1984 Summer Olympics. It was at this phase in her life that she was blessed with her daughter Sherie with whom she engaged headlong into mother/daughter activities. Leading by example, Sandra showed her daughter how to be independent and unafraid of starting new adventures in life. She shared her love of events, arts and learning. The two enjoyed the Harlem Globetrotters, a performance of “Phantom of the Opera” and two events featuring Maya Angelou. She found a great home church where she flourished and found wisdom in the scriptures. As work in big business began to lose its shine she decided to try Oregon where a brother lived and who helped her get settled.
In Oregon she checked out opportunities and then decided to pursue a doctorate in psychology awarded in 2001 from George Fox University. It was here where she was courted by and eventually married (some say rescued) Robert in 1997. They quietly celebrated their silver anniversary in 2022. She quickly found positions at the Oregon State Hospital and at Oregon Disability Determination Services. She retired from State Service in 2004 and resided in her South Salem home until her untimely passing.
Along the way she and Robert enjoyed traveling, hiking, camping, and cycling. Sandy was an enthusiastic road cyclist and leader in the Salem Bicycle Club riding many years in the 1000 mile plus range and one year topping 2500 miles. Covid and other health matters cut her cycling career short. Many things were cut short with her passing at age 73.
Sandra is survived by her husband Robert, her daughter Sherie, stepdaughters Ren and Britta, sister Lauren, and brothers L. Wayne, Keith, and Darryl. She was preceded in death by her parents Eva (Edwall) and Laurent Roberts. Her remains will mostly reside here in Salem though some will return to Old Saybrook and to Paris, the city she loved but never got to visit. A service of remembrance will take place at a later date.
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