Sandra Brand:
CLASS OF 1968
West Technical High SchoolClass of 1968
Cleveland, OH
Sandra's Story
Life
Hello Everyone! This is Sandy McKinney Brand, class of 1968. I went right to work out of West Tech and attended CCC at night. Foolishly, I married someone I shouldn't have in 1970, and we were separated in the fall of 1973 and divorced in May of 1974. It's a long story so I won't go into it, but I found my soulmate in the fall of 1974 and married Kelly Robinson, an Army officer. We moved to Dallas, TX in 1975 and lived there for 3 years. Living in Texas was lots of fun, but it was just the first stop for us. We moved to St. Louis in 1978 and stayed there for 3 years. Then we were off to the Washington, DC area where Kelly was stationed at the Pentagon and promoted to Major. Our daughter, Jillian, was born there in May of 1982. We moved back to the St. Louis area in 1984 and eventually he was promoted to Lt. Colonel. We divorced in January, 1987, after 12 1/2 years of marriage, but I remained in St. Louis because I loved the area. That was a very difficult time for us as I loved my husband very much, but he was dealing with 7 major issues in his life and just couldn't get past them. We were separated for 2 1/2 years before our divorce was final. We have remained dear friends through the years placing our daughter first in all things. Fortunately, she is a very well-balanced and impressive young woman who graduated from Brigham Young University in 2005 with a degree in English. She has been married for eleven years, and is the mother of two beaurtiful little girls, Eliza (almost 5 years) and Olvia (2 1/2 years). I love being a Mom and Grammie!!! Best jobs I've ever had!!!
I remained in St. Louis and eventually remarried. This time, my husband, Lee, was an over-the-road driver who was gone quite a bit. Unfortunately, when he was home, he drank to an excess and made our life miserable. We were married for 13 1/2 years before I said, "Enough is enough!" We have been divorced for 12 years now, and I am happily single!!!
For the past nine years, I have lived in West Jordan, Utah. It is so beautiful here! The mountains are unbelievable. They still take my breath away when I look at them in June, and there is still snow on the mountain tops! This truly is God's country. I have all of the conveniences of big city living, but I have the mountains and Utah Lake close by. I can't imagine ever moving from here. My daughter is the reason for my move this time. She met Brian, her husband, at BYU and they married. He's the youngest of a family of 6 children who grew up in West Jordan and all bu...Expand for more
t two live 5 minutes from Mom and Dad. I knew my daughter was never leaving, so if I wanted to be with her and my future grand-children, I had to move. I'm so glad I did!!!
Career-wise, I've done many things through the years. I've worked as a bookkeeper, bank teller/secretary, Software Support Analyst, Periodontal Surgical Assistant; and for the past 7 years have worked for Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC. The first four years I was the Executive Assistant to the President/Office Manager/Corporate Administration Manager. Currently, I'm one of two people in the Human Resources Department taking care of hiring/benefits for Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLC. I love my job and my boss! He's amazing, and is so good to me! I will probably retire from this one when the time comes. I can't imagine being anywhere else.
Throughout the years my daughter and I have been involved in many groups/clubs. She danced starting at age 2 and has danced throughout the country. We were in Girl Scouts for 7 years together; with me serving as the leader to 18 girls. As Jill got older, we did Job's Daughters and were involved in all of their activities. She was a cheerleader in high school, so we traveled all over for competitons and football games. I tried to always be there to support her in everything she had an interest in. Now, my granddaughter, Eliza, is the dancer having just been invited to audition for, and making, the youngest dance competition team in her studio. She is the youngest of all of the dancers, and is loving being accepted by the older girls (7-years-old). Technically, she is amazing. Her younger sister, Olivia, is a natural dancer, too, but where Eliza is serious and spot on, Livi is the performer. She will win you over with her enthusiasm and personality. Can't wait until she turns 3, so she can start taking classes, too. Liza is teaching her everything now, and believe it or not, Livi can do almost everything Liza can. I just love all the little shows they put on for me!!! Have I mentioned that I love being a Grammie???? :)
Overall, my life is filled with many friends and activities. I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1976, and am very active in it. It has truly blessed mine and my families lives through the years.
I've enjoyed updating and sharing my life with you, and look forward to reconnecting with all my old friends. Hope to see you at the reunion on September 14th. Can you believe it's been 45 years????? Ha! We aren't getting older, we are just getting better!!!
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