Obituary of Sandra Ann Parker

Sandy Parker was born September 4, 1947 in Tulsa. She passed away suddenly of a heart attack on November 14, 2021. She had only a passing acquaintance with promptness; a behavior that bedeviled all who waited for her. Sadly, the only time she was early was for her departure from this earth. Four children were fortunate to feel Sandy’s love and devotion -Wendy, Nick, Jocelyn and Max. Other family members who survive her are her sister, Kay Sonberg (Richard) and their family; brother, Tom Wallace (Susie) and their family; and her husband, Jody. Sandy was also a second mother to dozens of young people. Youngsters such as Thomas, Briana, Robert, Evan, Jack, Julia and many others were all attracted to Sandy’s energy, artistic spirit, and embrace of the new. She was a passionate, dedicated artist---never choosing to sell her work, preferring to give it away to friends and family as freely as she did her love. As one of her children observed, “Always gentle and encouraging, she was my model of kindness. Adventurous and spontaneous, she seemed to be an expert at living life to the fullest. She was young at heart to the end, perfectly able to stay up late to party with a younger crowd. Her laugh was infectious. Her curiosity was endless. Her generosity was profound. To be loved by her was the best feeling in the world and she was always bursting with love. She was a teacher, an artist, an activist, and the best mother I could ever want.” For the past fifteen years her volunteer service for Youth Arts New York (YANY) was the work that fulfilled her. The organization has focused on educating youth about the Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a partner of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), YANY won the 2017 Nobel for Peace Prize. It was a special thrill for her to be in Oslo for the presentation of the award. Her Japanese friend Toshiko wrote, “She was always such a big supporter of the weak and people like us who had survived the atomic bomb. We are so grateful for all the generous mental and financial help she extended to us. With her departure, we feel like we have a big hole in our soul which is so difficult to fill in…Sandy was a real angel on earth.” Per her request no service is planned. Memorial gifts may be made to either Tulsa Girls Art School http://www.tulsagirlsartschool.org/ or Youth Arts New York, PO Box 363, Old Chelsea Station, NY, NY 10113 ( https://youthartsnewyork.org/ ).