"So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart"
-For Good, Wicked
Sandra Vanderslice was born on June 3, 1963 to George Vanderslice and Rita (nee Gentil). As the fourth of five children, she definitely knew how to share one bathroom.
Each and every message the family received offering condolences cited (at least) one extremely kind and generous act Sandy did for him/her that she didn't have to do. She was always going above and beyond for everyone, even if it made her own day difficult. It never mattered what someone needed from her. If she made someone else smile, she smiled. For as much as she did for other people, she never asked for anything herself.
Sandy's friends from as far back as grade school, the friends of her children from their own grade school and high school years, her coworkers from almost every job she's ever had, several friends of family members, and her entire family have all reached out to say what a selfless, genuinely kind, and caring person Sandy was. This outpouring of love for her shows how truly hard Sandy worked to better the lives of everyone around her.
As a proud Ravenclaw, she had a lifelong thirst for knowledge. She took college courses just to learn anything and everything she could from higher level mathematics to communications and media to anthropology.
Most people can't open their eyes until they've had their morning coffee. For Sandy, it was chocolate milk.
To the delight of her children, she loved her "grand-dogs," Marcus and Rosey. Each dog has a set of bowls in her kitchen, she kept a stock of milk bones, and every so often she would find a new toy or bone for them to enjoy.
When she answered the phone, she always loved to greet the caller with a "Howdy!" She could endlessly rewatch The Great British Baking Show, Gilmore Girls, Blue Bloods, and Downton Abby. She loved playing LunchMoney Quizzo as an Angry Apple and trivia at Nick's Roast Beef as The Big Ragoo along with Lenny and Squiggy.
Sandy would listen to mostly any music, especially her groovy 70s tunes, Phil Collins, Bon Jovi, Steve Winwood, The Beatles, Billy Joel, and All Time Low.
Every Sunday, she donned her Franco Harris jersey and waved her special "Mom" Terrible Towel to bring the Pittsburgh Steelers all the luck she could. When her single-parenting sister needed a babysitter, she was the one to be relied on. When each of her friends got married, she was there with them at the altar. When her daughter needed a soccer coach, she volunteered, and borrowed Soccer for Dummies from the library. When her children's college roommates couldn't get home for the holidays, she welcomed them into her home with open arms and tons of food. When a friend wanted a buddy for a road trip, Sandy was already packed and ready to go.When someone ran out of money when playing a board game, Sandy would give that person money from her own "bank" so he/she could keep playing. When her son-in-love had horrible sunburn, she dropped everything to hand-deliver him fresh aloe from her plant. When her husband started an Etsy shop (at her encouragement), she was the first one to make a purchase.
Sandy is survived by two children, F. Wilkinson Pierce and Elizabeth Vanderslice Pierce, and her husband, Fred Pierce, as well as her two older sisters, GeorgeAnn Michels and Susan McCurdy. Her memory will also be kept alive by her nieces, Nancy Fain, Rita Michels, and Lauri McCurdy, her nephew, Jim Michels, and her great-nephews, Jim Fain and Zack Fain. She will live in the hearts and minds of countless other family members and friends who witnessed her amazing kindness.
She truly was a groovy chick.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Sandy's viewing on Wednesday January 6, 2021 from 6-8 pm at John F. Fluehr and Sons Inc. 3301 Cottman Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19149;
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