| Graduation Year | Class of 1964 |
| Date of Passing | Apr 29, 2021 |
| About | NOTE: Photo is from the 1963 Eisenhower yearbook. *********** Sandra “Sandi” G. Kipfer (Owens) (Armstrong), 75, of Lind, WA, walked on to be with the Creator on April 29, 2021 in Puyallup, WA, following an unexpected medical event on Christmas Eve 2020. Sandi was born in Yakima, WA on March 5, 1946 to James and Gerry Owens, and grew up on the Yakama Indian Reservation along with her older brother Jim. While growing up, Sandi worked long hours in the orchards along the Ahtanum and enjoyed spending quality time with her maternal grandparents Lawrence and Ruby Parks. Her Grandma Ruby had a great influence over Sandi’s deep appreciation for her native Yakama heritage which Sandi passed on to her children and grandchildren. Sandi graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1964 before marrying her first husband, Richard “Dick” Armstrong and moving her family to California in the early 1970’s. Sandi enjoyed time as a homemaker and spending time raising her two children Shanna and Rick. Once her kids were in elementary school, Sandi was faced with the new challenge of being a single-mother and she successfully embraced the challenge head on. Sandi completed advanced technical teller training, was certified as a drug and alcohol counselor, attended the California Correctional Officer Academy, and completed extensive course work at the California State University Sacramento. Sandi had immense pride and worked hard her entire life exploring a number of different occupational fields. Her favorite job however was hands down her last—Grams aka “Grammy” to her three grandchildren! Sandi always enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors from the ocean to the mountains and she was an avid big game hunter and fisherwoman. Once her kids were grown, graduated and out of the nest, Sandi moved back to Washington in the early 1990’s and met her husband Gary Kipfer in Goldendale before they embarked on Sandi’s life-long adventure of living in Alaska and Montana. Sandi and Gary spent several years making memories in Alaska and Montana before making their way back to Washington and ultimately settling down in Lind, WA. In recent years Sandi was challenged with diabetes, but she never let diabetes slow her down. She enjoyed spending time in the Cascades at the family’s historic cabin on Chinook pass, catching up with her friends from high school, and staying connected with family and friends on Facebook or the telephone. Sandi is survived by her loving husband Gary, brother Jim and his children, daughter Shanna and her husband Dale, son Rick and his wife Karyn—and the joys of her life—her three grandchildren, Brenden “Woog”, Vance, and Lauryn, and her numerous cousins. Sandi will be missed by her entire family and the hundreds of friends she made throughout her colorful life. Sandi’s family is so grateful for the loving care and treatment she received from the Yakama Nation, Yakima Valley Memorial, Harborview Medical Center, and the entire care team at Rainier Rehabilitation. Due to the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a memorial service celebrating Sandi’s life and the spreading of her ashes will be scheduled at a future date. Memorial donations may be made in Sandi’s memory to either the National Indian Women’s Resource Center at: www.niwrc.org or the American Diabetes Association at: www.diabetes.org. |
