Sandy

Sandy was my neighbor 2 doors down for over 40 years until she and her husband sold their house and moved to a retirement community nearby. She passed away on Saturday from a massive stroke and it's hard to believe she's no longer here.

We were good neighbors for all those years but not close friends. I don't know why because I liked her a lot...she was a quiet spoken woman but very friendly and with a great sense of humor. We just seemed to be busy in separate ways, I guess. I was sad to see her and her husband sell their house and move away but I understood that we'd come to that stage of life when living in a house with stairs can be a drawback. I'm okay so far but you never know about a neighbor's health issues.

Before Sandy moved she came up to the house and gave me a huge hug, so nice because she'd never done that in all the years prior. We promised each other that I'd come to see her new house once she was settled but the invitation never came and I forgot about it. Sadly, that's the way it usually goes when casual friends move away. Every time I drove past the community she'd moved to, I'd tell myself I really needed to give her a call but then the thought slipped away and off I went about my business. And now it's too late.

Now I'll think of Sandy occasionally and remember what a nice lady she was but I'll always be sorry I never made that phone call.