Sandra Burr

ACTONSandra Jean (Goldsmith) Burr died on November 4, 2021 at The Lodges in Springvale.Sandy was born July 25, 1936 in Salem, Massachusetts, the second daughter of O. Bruce and Ruth (Gilleland) Goldsmith. In 1942 the family moved from Danvers, MA to Williamsport, PA, where Sandy attended grade school. On their return to Danvers in 1946, the family (which now included baby brother Lee) settled in at 142 Locust Street. 142 was a big, beautiful house with lots of room for kids, dogs, cats, and horses, and next door to the locally notable "Octagon House". Sandy's 1954 Holten High (Danvers) yearbook is full of remarks about the unforgettable parties and fun times in that house. Photos from that era show slumber parties galore, big holiday gatherings, and Sandy's sister Sally standing under the floating staircase in her wedding dress. Times were good.After Sandy graduated high school, the family moved to Livingston, NJ. By this time, Sandy was an accomplished horsewoman. As a teen and young adult, she rode, played polo, and worked in stables and riding programs in Massachusetts at Mt Holyoke, and in New Hampshire at Camp Tonawandah and the Mt. Washington Hotel. In 1957 Sandy rode in Vermont's famed Green Mountain Horse Association 100 Mile Trail Ride.She also loved her dogs. There was usually a Rhodesian ridgeback or a collie (or both) in the house.A final family move in the late 1960s brought Sandy to Acton, Maine, where she married, and later, where she raised her daughter Vicki. Sandy and Vicki lived with Bruce and Ruth in their home on Mann Road, which remained in the family until 2019.Through the 70s and 80s, Sandy focused on raising her daughter, and later, caring for her parents. In the early 1990s, she went to work at the Sanford Hannaford store, where she made innumerable friends and found a comfortable routine. Sandy worked into her late seventies, and reluctantly retired. A true people person, she knew she'd miss the friends she saw at work. Turns out, she couldn't go anywhere without running into someone who knew her from the store.She was active in her church, and with the Collie Club of Maine. She loved walking with her dogs to the lake, which she did regularly, unless there was a Patriots or Red Sox game on.When Sandy transitioned to assisted living, she found herself with a whole new group of friends. She lived briefly at Anchor Senior Care in Springvale, with a terrific, small community of people. In 2018, Sandy moved to The Lodges, which turned out to be the perfect place. She had a lovely circle of friends there-both staff and residents-who truly cared about her. They made her laugh, and shared cupcakes on her last birthday. Thanks to them for being such good souls.Sandy turned inward during her last months on earth. Her final weeks with dementia were a kind of winding down, and she slowly disappeared into herself. Still, she laughed with her friends and enjoyed her community until the final days of her life, when she went to sleep and finally, did not wake up.Sandy is survived by her brother, Leland Goldsmith of Acton, and her daughter, Vicki Lucey of Portland. She was predeceased by her parents and by her sister, Sally Emerson.Services will be arranged at a later date. Sandy would be honored to be remembered with a donation to the animal rescue organization of your choosing.Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.