Sandra Joan Weller passed away Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, after a second, short battle with brain cancer. She beat the cancer 10 years ago and was left disabled from treatment, but was blessed by a move to the supportive and loving Good Samaritan community, which helped Terry to care for her.
Sandy was born July 30, 1943, in Auburn, Calif., to Walter and Ruth Woock (deceased). Sandy met the love of her life, and surviving spouse, Terry R. Weller, at the age of 14. They knew from a young age they would spend their lives together. Sandy and Terry were in the Placer High School Golden Hillman Band together and were proud to be able to perform at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, Calif. They married on June 21, 1963, and except for Terry's two years in the U.S. Navy, they were never apart for more than a few days at a time.
After graduating from Placer High School, Sandy completed an associate of arts degree at Sierra College. She was a devoted mother, raising three children, and it was very important to her to be able to stay home with them as long as possible. Sandy worked for a few years as a bank teller, then they owned and ran the family jewelry business, Weller's Jewelers, in Auburn for years. In 1984, Sandy and Terry decided to move to Idaho, and have called Idaho their home ever since.
Sandy grew up camping, fishing and rock hounding. She and Terry loved to camp together with family and with the kids, that always being their vacation of choice. While fishing, Sandy would hunt for lost hooks and lures, and turn over rocks in the streams to find bugs to help Terry fish.
Sandy loved to play games and cards and always seemed to have a jigsaw puzzle in the works. She was an avid reader and would come home with a big stack of books and read them all in a week. With a natural talent for technical skills, Sandy was always fixing household appliances and setting up audio and video systems in the house. She was the only mother around who loved to play the video games as much as her kids did, maybe more.
Sandy had a vibrant Christian faith, raised in the Lutheran Church, and was passionate about volunteering at churches she attended. She built close and supportive relationships while leading a women's Bible study for years at Grace Lutheran Church in Potlatch, and she taught adult Bible classes at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Auburn.
Being from a family of artists, Sandy loved so many forms of art. She created beautiful paintings in oil and watercolor; she enjoyed needle point, quilt making and crochet. She was an amazing cook and loved to feed her family meals, always made from scratch. Sandy played piano and flute. One year she decided she wanted to learn to play classical guitar, so she took lessons and practiced diligently, learning to play beautifully.
One of the family's favorite memories of Sandy is her sense of humor. She loved laughing and playing practical jokes. Two favorite family stories include Sandy putting a hose through the bathroom window while Terry was taking a shower, freezing him out; and her randomly slapping Terry's bare belly with a spatula of mustard. Sandy's kids love those memories and tell the stories often. Her children learned her sense of humor and remember chasing her with tomato worms when they were little. She pretended to be afraid and ran screaming.
Sandy and Terry have been partners in life and in raising their family; and everything they did, they always did together. Terry fell in love with Sandy's smile and loved her smile until the day she passed away; everyone enjoyed her smile. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
Sandy is survived by her husband, Terry; brother Richard Woock (and Kathy); aunt Bertie Cain (and Bob); sister-in-law Marilyn Weller; and three children, Gregory Weller, Christena Greenlee (and David), and Jeffrey Weller (and Jena). Sandy's grandchildren include Rachel, Josiah, Jessica, Joshua and Brock; and her great-granddaughter, Emily Ray.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Short's Funeral Chapel.
Friends and family are welcome to also join the family afterward at the Fairview Village Estates, 403 Samaritan Lane, Moscow.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Short's Funeral Chapel of Moscow and condolences may be left at www.shortsfuneralchapel.com.
