SANDS, CONNIE

SANDS, CONNIE THE SANDPIPER LADY IS GONE Connie Sands, of Stone Harbor, New Jersey; Bucks County PA and Ft. Myers, FL, flitted away February 3rd to chase another wave way down the beach. She will be remembered most for being the director of the wonderful SANDPIPER GALERIE in Stone Harbor, New Jersey for 31 years. A remarkable woman, she was embraced by every generation, from her own WWII friends, the 60’s kids as well as their kids. Anyone who met her will remember her! And everyone who knew her will have wonderful memories of her eagerness to share any part of her life with them. Connie was born Constance Thomas on May 14th, 1925 and lived through the depression with her two sisters, Jean and Shirley, and her parents in Philadelphia. She married Herb Sands in June 1945. They soon took their two sons, Jeff and Steve, to start an ‘Ozzie and Harriet” life in Levittown, PA. In 1963, they bought a summer house in Stone Harbor, which Connie, little by little, made into a world-class art gallery; a pride of all who knew her. She and Herb left Levittown and built the gallery into an extremely popular destination at the Jersey Shore. Under her stewardship, she represented many of the finest artists in the region. Most of the artists, as well as her customers, easily crossed the line between client and friend and were close with her until she died. She was an active member of her community in Stone Harbor, and was beautifully cared for by everyone, from the local police, friends, clients as well as fellow business people. Most evenings, after closing at 11pm, the last people in her shop would stay, chat and drink wine and listen to music until late. She loved to learn from everyone, and these “social events” would yield quotations that she was sure everyone needed to know. For that reason, every shelf or bare patch of every wall was placarded with scraps of paper, dripping with inspiration. Her way of life; opening to all whom she met everywhere, made her an unusual and distinctive person. But her many friends would call her special. Will Rogers once said, (and this may have been quoted on the gallery wall), “I never met a man I didn’t like.” It is safe to say that it would be difficult, at best, to find a person who didn’t like or love Connie. And of those souls, it would be safe to also say that the feeling would be mutual! Closing the doors in 1995, definitely the hardest decision of her life, she took her little beach feet to Ft. Myers, Florida and, for many years, lived with her phone as though still in the old neighborhood. This last year was hard for her, and although surviving and thriving after cancer surgery in 2005, poor general health finally caught up with her. Connie is survived by a large family including her two married sons and her grandchildren; Bailey, Libby, Annie, Sita and Luke. A memorial service is planned for May 3rd in Stone Harbor. (email:sandpipermemorial@gmail.com for details) She was a dynamic, multi-faceted, well-loved person touching so many lives. Her family and friends truly feel the difference without her. Connie seemed honestly to love everyone and every thing. In the words of Auntie Mame, “Life’s a banquet, but most poor suckers are starving to death!”