Sandra-Lee Mathias
GRAND RAPIDS — Sandra-Lee Mathias went to Heaven on Saturday, June 29, 2019, to make sure her husband, Carl, had been behaving himself. Her health had been in a steady decline over the last few years, due to health complications of diabetes and her love of mashed potatoes, pizza and carbohydrates. She clearly exemplified that “life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, ‘Woo Hoo! What a ride!”
She was born on July 28, 1939, in Chicago and was raised in an Italian/Puerto Rican/Black/Southern neighborhood by her mother, Genevieve Bandy. As a young girl, she learned an important lesson to never name a child with a rhyming name. As a result, young “Sandy Bandy” also developed the ability to form witty comebacks when teased, a skill that would be put to good use for the next 80 years.
Her annoyance with her rhyming name thankfully ended on Sept. 28, 1957, when she married the love her life, Carl Mathias. Although they met in Chicago, they eventually moved to the Upper Peninsula to be near the vast Mathias family. To someone who knew them, that may come as a shock, but as a rebellious city girl, Sandy was so proud to have such an entertaining family to love and annoy at anniversaries, weddings, funerals, etc. for the next several decades. She was so proud to be part of a family that valued fun, laughter and friendship. The Mathias family gave her the sense of belonging she had lacked growing up and all the joys, entertainment and even drama that a large family can bring…and she loved them for it!
She added seven children to the Mathias clan: Tracey (Mike) Williams, Deanne Hughes, Ronald (Lisa) Mathias, James Mathias, Andrew (Sandy) Mathias and Sarah (Mike) Thode survive her. Sandy attended St. Michael’s Church, the TOPS club, and worked at Pinecrest and the casino. In general, she terrorized Bark River and Escanaba with her wit and sarcasm for several decades. She moved to Grand Rapids a few years ago to be near Ronald and his family.
Honestly, she was known for ruffling feathers, but now she has flown home. She was known for her blunt and often sharp tongue, but now her heart is softened in the Presence of the Lord. She was known for sometimes being offensive, but now those offenses have been forgiven. She was known for her fierce and loyal love and has now been reunited with those she has missed so much: her husband Carl, her mother, brother and sister, her mother and father-in-law, brothers-in-law John Mathias, Jr., Ron Mathias, and Warren and Dennis Meintz, her daughter Carla, her daughter-in-law Donna (Ron) Mathias, her son-in-law Jack (Deanne) Hughes, her grandson Gary, and several unborn grandchildren that she will meet for the first time in Heaven.
In addition, she was a naughty influence on her 25 surviving grandchildren, teaching them to be rebellious to their parents and possibly scarred them for life. She shared a special bond with her grandson Adam Shinnaberry and his wife, Anita, whom she spoke to daily and considered her best friends. She also has 12 great-grandchildren.
The services will be held on Monday, July 8, at 11 a,m, ET at Crawford’s Funeral Home in Bark River with a family visitation at 9 a.m. and a public visitation at 10 a.m. ET.