Sandy's Memorial Weekend

Since Sandy passed away peacefully on September 10, we have been busy organizing events and details. Here are a few of those:

Friday Open House

J Alex is hosting an Open House
 on Friday, October 3, 2025, 2–6 p.m. with pizza at 4
 at J Alex & Robyn’s home
, 10161 NW Wellhouse Ln, Portland, OR 97229. Everyone is welcome and at 4 pm, "pizza," will be sharing and toasts. 

Saturday Memorial Service

Our Memorial Service
 will be Saturday, October 4, 2025, 1:00 p.m. at the 
Lake Oswego United Methodist Church
, 1855 South Shore Blvd, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.

Reception

At the reception which follows after the ceremony, we will have Sandy's perennial favorite waffles from the Waffle Window. They come from our long time friends, the Fishback's, who were our neighbors and who also started the Waffle Window at their Bread and Ink Cafe.

Media Tribute

At the reception we will also have a media tribute of Sandy's life as people meet and chat. Anyone who might have photos and information about them please feel encouraged to share with Chris Mason. He can take anything even if it needs to be scanned. To manage this challenging project, he has set up special access on his Google docs for sharing documents so anyone can contribute. What he does not use for Sandy's tribute we will have for further enriching our recorded family history, particularly helpful are dates and your written info for your docs and photos.

Saturday Evening Dinner

For our Saturday Evening Dinner at 5:00 PM if you choose, join us at BGs Food Cartel in Beaverton. It's a large facility with many food carts surrounding a grassy lawn and a beer hall. A wonderful venue.

Guests and RSVPs

Doug at dougmeinhard@gmail.com is tracking all the RSVP so we might plan food and drink at Friday Open House and Saturday reception.

Events and RSVPs

Doug is also tracking events, the kids' games, gatherings, guests, all RSVPs, and so forth, and he immediately updates any information he receives so everyone has immediate access to people and events. Send Doug all RSVPs or if you are a family member, you may add info and events yourself.

Obituary

I posted Sandy’s obituary at the Gethsemani Funeral Home. If you wish to send a card, send them to J Alex’s address, 10161 NW Wellhouse Ln, Portland, OR 97229. We won't need flowers but I welcome anything I can plant at our my home that I call "the lot" in her memory. Your messages and memories will mean a great deal.

Event Locations

Here's a Google link showing the venues on the map for our key events.
 
With gratitude for your love and support,
 (and I would have to add, tolerance).

Dick 

In Memorium, Sandra K. Pellens–Meinhard 1944-2025

 

My Wife

My dear wife, Sandra K. Pellens-Meinhard (1944-2025), lived a life rich with music, social gatherings, teaching, and a deep commitment to fairness. I was blessed to share so much of it with her. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Roger Owens Pellens and Betty Wistner Pellens. With her sister Judy, Sandy grew up in a home where culture, music, and community were woven into the fabric of everyday life, and I saw that upbringing reflected in her gentle spirit and strong convictions.

I first met Sandy while we were both pursuing graduate studies at the University of Iowa. Our first encounter was far from romantic—in a seminar for graduate assistants, I challenged her on some of her research, and she answered me with a conviction that immediately impressed me. From that spirited debate, our conversations blossomed, leading to tennis matches, ballroom dancing, and, quickly, a deeper commitment. I proposed to her on Valentine's Day, and we were married on August 15, 1981, at the Unitarian Church in Iowa City. We celebrated with a pig roast at Terrace Park, dancing with family and friends all weekend long.

Our only son, J Alex, was born in 1982, and becoming a mother was one of the greatest joys of Sandy's life. Later, when our granddaughters Lexi and Gwyn were born, they became the light of her life. Watching her with them, living so close in Portland, filled her final years with joy.

Our professional paths were intertwined from the start. Together, we built the Institute for Developmental Science and Sandy's teacher group, the Society for the Advancement of Genetic Epistemology (S.A.G.E.). We blended classroom practice with research, always striving to improve cognitive development for children. Our work took us and J Alex to Geneva, Switzerland, and Canada, as we connected with educators and researchers around the world.

Sandy was a positive and influential educator who helped bring developmental research into instruction. In Oregon, she worked as a consultant and administrator for the Oregon Department of Education and various school districts. She also taught IDS courses credentialed by Portland State, Lewis and Clark College, and the University of Portland. Her gift was her ability to insist that teachers see the world through a child's eyes. She had unique talents for encouraging others to grow and empowering them with confidence.

Outside of work, her life was enriched with her participation. Sandy sang with the May Festival Chorus on Cincinnati's Music Hall stage, and later with friends at church and community events. We enjoyed ballroom dancing, and she was a key organizer for the Sesame Club's monthly dances. At home in our house on Burnside, she was a gracious hostess. Holidays were her favorite—she delighted in setting a formal table with her fine china and crystal, making each guest feel honored and special. Her love of Christmas was immense, and she took great pleasure in decorating the house and the tree. The outdoor lights were so warm and inviting that we eventually decided to leave them up all year round.

I'll never forget the time Sandy decided to tackle a Beef Wellington. The mushroom duxelles was perfect, and the process of wrapping it in prosciutto and pastry was ambitious and nerve-wracking. The final result wasn't flawless, but the meal became a legend in our household. It was a perfect reminder of her adventurous spirit, her love of entertaining, and her ability to laugh at herself while making everyone around her feel so welcome.

Sandy was a champion of the underdog and a tireless advocate for fairness. Whether she was on a picket line, working on affirmative action programs, or in the classroom, she lived her values of equality, respect, and opportunity. She carried herself with such warmth and conviction, and I was always drawn to her engaging conversations that blended intellect with compassion.

I am survived by our son J Alex, his wife Robyn (McClain), and our beloved granddaughters Lexi and Gwyn. She is also survived by her sister Judith's children, Matt, Amy, and Becky. She will be remembered with affection by my siblings—Donna Meinhard, Dianne Farris, Doris Howard, Douglas Meinhard, and Dorothea Anderson—and by many friends and colleagues who were touched by her kindness and strength.

Dick

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We have organized a memorial service to be be held October 4, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Lake Oswego United Methodist Church, led by Reverend Dr. Tom Nolen with Reverend Donna Meinhard and Reverend Arleon Kelly; we will have a reception afterwards.

For your RSVP to any event, send to dougmeinhard@gmail.com. Doug is also sharing the events and guest list at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oijYwvjKMJ9wL9DpVfvNPczmzqHstowHMnphuIe9BiE/edit?usp=sharing. You may always contact me directly at meinhardfamily@gmail.com or richardmeinhard@gmail.com.

Sandra Kay Pellens-Meinhard

The Present

Sandy weighs less than 95 pounds. She eats little, is seldom awake, cannot get out of bed, and requires almost total care of her bodily needs. Her deteriorating mind now only expresses the briefest of comment suggesting a recognition of present people or objects, she generates almost no responses to comments or questions, and she usually keeps her eyes closed and makes no visual contact.

I do not know how to interact with her except to assume she may hear and understand me when I talk to her about the day's events. While with her, I raise her bed and sometime calling one of her friends on Facetime. I could tell that Alice, her beloved superintendent and boss at Molalla River School District, strugdge with her tears as she talked to Sandy. Sandy roused herself and and couple of times uttered something in response.

Severe aphasia throws up a horrible roadblock but from her response, I continue to assume she understands what people are saying. I asked her, "Alice would like to come to Oregon and see you. Would you like that?"

"Yes." but nothing more. So she understands. Perhaps she is withdrawn so she can occupy her thought with her preparation of her future. It is painful for me. The wonderful, cheerful staff at Ciel—always empathetic—provide comforting talk as they feed her and encouragement to me. I could not ask for better caregivers.

Hospice provides a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, hygiene and bathing technicians, and a remarkable pastor, the Reverend Dr. Tom Nolan. I find him unusually intelligent and empathetic. Joan volunteers to come weekly; she sings, performs on her little harp, plays one of Sandy's favorite CDs, and reads a letter or note someone has sent. Her loyalty is remarkable. This supportive team coupled with all my family, make Sandy and myself very well supported. People seem to know.

The Future

I'm in uncharted territory in my role as the husband of Sandy, but in thinking through the future, I have attempted to reflect, investigate, and prepare myself by anticipating future needs and events. I have had some meetings and phone calls and from this a memorial service is taking shape. Most Meinhard family members have a window in mid June so I reserved Wednesday, June 18, for a memorial service and evening dinner. Perhaps with this advance planning we can muster a family gathering that week. Let's continue to talk and see what emerges.

J Alex is taking the lead for organizing a corresponding memorial event in Cincinnati with the Alcoke family. No date as yet. Diane Richardson, a good friend, thoughtful counselor, and a source of Sandy's early family passed away in November.

I'll post some documents outlining the Portland memorial service, venues, participation, a calendar for the week, and gathering arrangements.

Dick