of Saline, Michigan, 72, died on October 4, peacefully at work, surrounded by her beloved coworkers. Sandy was born January 14, 1950, to Donald Robert Knoll and Alice Mae (Hayward) Knoll in Stockbridge, MI. During her 72 years, many lives were changed for the better as a result of Sandy’s kindness, warmth, and selflessness.
No one can speak to this quite as accurately and affectionately as Sandy’s best friend and daughter, Elizabeth (Lizz) Wilkinson. Sandy and Lizz were inseparable. They spent a lifetime going to comedy shows, art exhibits, and concerts, and delighting in each other’s company in times of hardship and joy. They had a mutual love of experimenting with new recipes and wine pairings, which inspired their baked goods pop-up, The Sconey Island. They filled their beautifully entwined lives with finishing The New York Times crossword in pen, event planning, movie nights, excessive reading, true crime podcasts, museum visits, as well as dreaming and scheming for a bright future. Not unlike their bond, Sandy’s garden benefited from her nurturing heart and commitment. She would often cook with the herbs that she grew. Those who knew her best, knew that Sandy loved lilacs and hostas, both of which are as resilient as she proved herself to be.
Sandy graduated from Chelsea High School in 1968. During this time she worked as a model while attending Washtenaw Community College for a year before graduating from the Patricia Stevens Career College and Finishing School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She lived in Las Vegas in the early 1970s, before returning to Ann Arbor where she worked for Mercywood Hospital and the Reichert Health Care System through the late 1980s. She came back to her hometown of Chelsea to raise her family, where she worked briefly at Chelsea High School, before finding a home in Human Resources at Chelsea Retirement Community for 16 years until 2009, and then Sandy thrived helming the front desk and event services at the Teaching and Learning Center of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District for the decade until her death.
A Girl Scout for 13 years, Sandy passed her dedication to service onto Lizz, who also completed the full 13 years allowed. Not only was she a dedicated troop leader, but she was also deeply involved in what was then the Huron Valley Girl Scout Council. Later, she was a community member of the Washtenaw Community College Arts Club which her daughter assisted in founding. Sandy will be most remembered for her sweet heart which was best exemplified by her winning Miss Congeniality at the 1968 Miss Ann Arbor Pageant, an official Miss America Pageant, and the fact that any chance she got, Sandy would go out of her way to encourage everyone around her, and was the ultimate cheerleader and gal pal. Her love of jewelry was legendary, and she wore something sparkly every single day. Her wicked and wry sense of humor is still making people laugh, and will continue to do so, for years to come.
She is survived by Elizabeth (Lizz) Wilkinson of Detroit, who was so incredibly proud to be her daughter, and their pets that she doted on, Lentil and Paul Giamutti; her godmother, Marge Ferry of Chelsea, MI; a half-brother John of England; cousins Margaret, Graham, Deb, and Di Steed of England; incredible friends who would do anything for her if Sandy wasn’t already too busy making sure their needs were taken care of first; and her adoring coworkers at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Teaching and Learning Center, a job she loved and felt honored to do, all of whom she was dreading leaving as a result of her upcoming retirement, as well as the hundreds of thousands of people she interacted with, whose days were undoubtedly made better for having encountered her kind and everlasting spirit. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 13, 2022, at 1:00 pm at Cole Funeral Chapel, Chelsea, with Rev. Joy Barrett officiating. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery, Sylvan Township. The family will receive friends 11-1 pm Thursday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the family for the creation of a memorial garden at Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
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