By Anne Naumann
One of the Lifetime Members of the Highland Park Community Association, Sandy Handy, passed away on April 6, 2024, at the age of 85. For those who knew her, she was a smart lady, with a wry sense of humour, who was an incredibly dedicated volunteer with the community, and our local elementary, Buchanan School. Here are some of my memories of Sandy.
I met Sandy in the fall of 2007, when my kids started attending Buchanan School, and I began to volunteer with the school’s Parent Association. Sandy’s grandson Adam was attending Buchanan, and she & her daughter, Marlis (Adam’s Mom), were also on the Parent Association. Sandy was the liaison from the Highland Park Community Association. Even after Adam graduated from Buchanan, and Marlis stopped attending the meetings, Sandy continued attending, to share information about what the Community Association was doing and to bring back to HPCA meetings information about the goings-on at Buchanan. She truly loved staying involved with the school. I’m sure it was Sandy who convinced me to also join the Highland Park Community Board shortly thereafter. She had served in pretty much every role on the Board. And now I have too, so I’m glad she did.
Sandy was born in Calgary and grew up in the community of Crescent Heights. She used to tell me how, as a young person, she loved to ride the streetcar on Centre St, which at that time ran between downtown and 32 Ave N, when it was replaced in 1947 by trolley buses. For more information about the historical streetcars that used to run in our area, visit HPCA’s website and check out the Asset Map, which Sandy and I and a few others helped create.
After completing her nursing training and getting married, Sandy started a family (her daughter Marlis, followed by a son, Blair) and moved to Highland Park in 1967, into a house that was a short walk from Buchanan Elementary, where her kids went to school.
I have fond memories of attending multiple assemblies over the years at Buchanan School with Sandy, from monthly Student-of-the-Month award ceremonies, to watching Halloween costume parades of the students and staff, or annual School Volunteer recognition events. We shared lots of laughs at these (as well as our fair share of cake). We also collected and counted thousands of Campbell’s Soup labels for the school, which could be traded in for various things such as Phys. Ed equipment. She always reminded the HPCA Board to continue to support the Buchanan Christmas Hamper program with an annual donation. Often, around Christmas time, I would stop by her home to deliver a small gift for her and then stay for a chat over some spiked eggnog or rum and Coke.
In 2017, Sandy was preparing to move out of the area to a supportive living facility in the NE community of Redstone. I received a call to come help her downsize her belongings as she wouldn’t be able to take everything with her to her new place. While helping her go through her clothes, I tried to gently encourage her part with many items. I remember chuckling while telling her, “How many green & white striped blouses do you think you’re really going to need there?” I think I drew the line for her at 3, because she didn’t like my initial suggestion of 1 or 2. As we kept at it, I remarked on how much I liked one of her sweaters, brown with a cowl neck and a white polar bear on the front. She insisted I should have it.
After she moved to Redstone, Sandy and I stayed in contact and I encouraged her to attend HPCA events whenever she could. I was very happy to see her come out to some of the Music In The Park events, even as her mobility decreased. HPCA provided the use of our hall free of charge to Sandy’s family for her Celebration of Life on April 11. To honour Sandy, the Board will be giving a donation from HPCA to the Buchanan School Breakfast Program.
I’ll continue to cherish my memories of my friend Sandy. I’ll finish by saying, “Thanks for the laughs. And also for the sweater.”
