Sandra L. Redick

"I know you are, but what am I?"

Though it was a snarky retort repeated by Sandra (Sandy) Redick to the point of her family's irritation, she spent all 68 years of her life showing the world who she was. From her birth on February 23, 1952, to her death on June 22, 2020, Sandy never stopped being herself.

She studied nursing at the Kettering College of Medical Arts, and she worked as a nurse for 41 years. Though her door was sometimes physically closed while she was online shopping or taking a quick nap at her desk, everyone knew that her time and heart were always open. She kept a helium tank in her back office, as well as in the front closet of her home, for hard days—because not many things couldn't be improved by a balloon.

On June 30, 1972, Sandy married Robert (Bob) Redick. Their relationship was one of mutual care, banter, and love. They had three children: Jennifer Knupp, Julie Brown, and Sean Redick.

She was the kind of mom that celebrated every holiday to the max. The Christmas tree was always overflowing with her generosity and birthday parties were never complete without a clown or a piñata. Using her sewing skills, she once made beautiful stockings for each member of the family, and then forgot to close the flue on the fireplace so they ended up charred and crispy—perfect for marshmallows, not stockings.

A kid at heart, she loved playing games. Whether she was creating an ice skating rink in her front hallway by spraying the linoleum with Pledge and letting everyone skate around in their socks or whether she was creating tales about chlorine damaging her glasses so she didn't get splashed at the swimming pool, she was always entertaining.

There is no doubt that Sean was waiting for Sandy at the pearly gates with an iced tea and a great big bear hug.

Sandy was also "Gammie" to four grandkids—Abbey Knupp, Jackson Knupp, Anderson Brown, and Preston Brown. Upon them, she endowed many life lessons, including that sometimes french fries make the best breakfast, that you can find absolute treasures at a thrift store, and that laughter is the best medicine. She never came to visit empty-handed. She was always hiding toys and snacks in her big, black purse to share.

She loved helping her grandkids create the perfect Halloween costume, whether it meant sewing unique pieces or shopping for the best deal. Sandy loved pretending to eat the fake plastic food prepared by her grandkids when they were little, and she could eat the delicious s'mores toasted by her grandsons without end.

The word ornery has a negative connotation, but it was a word Sandy was often called lovingly by her family. She had a special stick that she'd use to push people's buttons, and she always had a certain smile on her face when she was doing it. It sometimes seemed as though her main mission on Earth was to make people smile, no matter how silly, sly, or stubborn she had to be to make it happen.

She created an indoor slip-in-slide out of two air mattresses, a bottle of dish soap, and a garden hose snaked through her living room window, and she didn't care about the marsh-like carpet left in its wake. She would buy all of the wilted clearance plants at the hardware store, nurse them back to health, and fill her garden to the brim. Whenever she played the card game "Old Maid" with her grandchildren—which was often—she would always pick the Old Maid card when the kids thought they were being sneaky by placing it higher in their hand than all of the other cards, and she acted surprised every time she chose it.

Sandy loved movies, board games, water balloons, card games, pizza (no salt, lightly baked), and playing bingo with her best friend, Lydia. She was generous with her time, money, and energy, and she asked for little in return—except for occasional forgiveness following a nefarious prank she concocted with her grandkids.

As an avid storyteller with a knack for adding entertaining embellishments, even Sandy would have a difficult time fitting her life into a few short paragraphs. Her presence filled every room she was in, her voice commanded space, and her laugh could invade even the hardest of hearts. She is loved infinitely by her family and everyone who knew her, and her humor and light will never be forgotten.

Her family celebrates the person that she is, and they ask that you do the same. Have a laugh today, for Sandy.


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