Sandra Jean Kaldor
September 11, 1944 - February 26th, 2025
Sandra “Sandy” Kaldor passed away comfortably at home surrounded by family and flowers on February 26, 2025. She was born in Berkeley, California on September 11th, 1944. Sandy grew up in Berkeley where she spent her childhood biking and exploring the Berkeley hills after school. During beloved family vacations, Sandy camped, fished, and water skied the lakes and rivers of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia with her parents, Clay and Vesta and her brother, Don. She graduated with a BA in English Literature from UC Berkeley, She married Andrew Kaldor, a fellow UC Berkeley graduate. The two went on to raise their children, Eric and Tamara, instilling in them a passion for adventure, research, advocacy, the arts, and hosting gatherings filled with great food, music, and wine.
Art and architecture inspired Sandy throughout her life. She developed her own aesthetic over the years and used it to create warm inviting spaces that celebrated gathering, reflection, beauty and artisanship. Working with friends to create these kinds of spaces in their homes brought her great satisfaction. These projects were as much about her bond with friends as the joy of solving interior design and life flow challenges.
Sandy believed in doing things well. A great admirer of craftsmanship, she was a talented painter, gardener, seamstress, cook, and much more. She could fix almost anything she set her mind to. One of her superpowers was serving as a host. She loved to bring people together, for fabulous dinner parties that lasted late into the evening. For her, these evenings were at their best when there were deep conversations and lively debates around the table with the people she loved.
Sandy lived life to its fullest with Andy. They traveled the world, sharing unforgettable meals and wine with friends and family while exploring new places. Sandy adored learning about different cultures and passionately advocated for cultural understanding, respect, social justice, equality and equity. As she traveled the world, she loved to connect with artists and their work as a way to build a more meaningful connection to each place she went. Her childhood led to a love for the outdoors, which continued throughout her life and skiing, sailing, and hiking were excuses to get closer to nature. Sandy also had a special gift for spotting whales, birds, bears, moose, and other animals everywhere she went.
Traveling with Sandy was always fun. She was quite social and could start a conversation with anyone, making friends wherever she went. Also, no trip was complete without finding something beautiful to bring home, predictably fragile and hard to transport. After their grandchildren arrived, Sandy and Andy made sure to instill in them a love for travel by introducing them to their favorite destinations like Wyoming and Hawaii. This also meant making sure they learned how to live well while traveling: seek out an incredible view, observe and reflect with gratitude on the details around us, learn where the animals hang out, appreciate the sunset, enjoy a special meal, and drink to one another’s health.
Sandy supported her friends and family equally through the good and hard parts of life while always sharing her sunny optimism and gratitude for the wonderful life she adored. No matter the concern or difficulty, she saw a better future around the corner. Her belief in that better future was infectious. Her unwavering optimism and good humor was evident to the very end of her life.
She is survived by her children Tamara Kaldor (Paul Wells) and Eric Kaldor (Lynne Moulton); and grandchildren, Isabella, Ellie, Leo, and Isaac; as well as her brother, Don Lewis (Ilza Lewis). She is predeceased by her parents, Vesta and Clay Lewis and her husband, Andrew Kaldor.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Indian College Fund or your local Planned Parenthood. It would be an equally fitting celebration of her life to add some color to your garden or your countertop with a new planting or a fresh bouquet. And she would tell you to make sure to loosen the roots and get the best part of the plant facing you.
Donations
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
which serves many woman from surrounding states who can’t access safe health care or please donate to your own local Planned Parenthood
Photo Gallery
