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BERNSTEIN, Sandi, nee Sheff, age 68, passed away April 14, 2012, beloved wife of Hal Bernstein, devoted mother of Melissa (Glen) Helton, Debi Burke and Seth (Alicia) Bernstein of Atlanta, GA., dear sister of Eileen Sheff (Manuel Broulard) of Los Angeles, CA., Carol (Jack) Lillis of Albion, CA. and Sheldon (Karen) Sheff, loving grandmother of Hallie and Lilly Burke, Chad and Jack Bernstein and Ryan Helton. Services Weil Funeral Home, 8350 Cornell Rd., Tuesday, April 17 at 9:15AM. Shiva will be observed at her residence Tuesday only. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (lls.org/soh), Caringbridge.org, Scratchingpost.org or STAF.org would be appreciated. --Weil Funeral Home
Original announcement posted Apr 14, 2012, by Maureen Rodd Osterman:
It is with great sadness that I learned the passing today of our dear classmate and my life long friend though we lived miles apart, SANDI SHEFF BERNSTEIN. She lived a truly happy, peace-filled life, marrying her high school sweetheart, Hal, the love of her life, owning and operating her own Insurance company with multiple locations, until retirement, and being totally invested with Hal in raising their three beautiful adult children and grandchildren. She had the gift of listening and making one feel as though she had all the time in the world just for them. She did not dwell on her battle with cancer, treating it as an inconvenience, and always caring to know what was going on in the lives of others. Her wisdom, humor, and down-home authenticity is a legacy not to be forgotten. As she wanted, she died at home surrounded by her loving family. A funeral was held Tuesday, April, 17, 2012, at Weil Funeral Home in Mason.
Sandi's Woodward activities included Bulldog Barks 3; Showcase 2; Spanish Club 2; Council on World Affairs 2.
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Bill Curry
I'd like to share an excerpt from my blog at www.myfirstcancer.com:
Sandi died April 14 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after two contests with breast cancer. When I wrote in my blog about the fear of recurrence that occupies all cancerians (A Stalking Circling Menace), I noted that for my friend, Sandi, recurrence was “the bear in the back room,” trying to get out. Her bear, unfortunately, did break free.
Sandi was both classy and courageous. When I disclosed in March 2011 that I have Stage 4 prostate cancer, Sandi re-entered my life -- almost 50 years after our high school graduation.
It was worth the wait.
“[Cancer] is a good thing, in a way,” she wisely wrote upon her re-entry into my life. “It reminds me that life is on loan to me and I should use that time in a good way. I want to be seen as a giver and not a taker. I am very fortunate, I know, to have been a survivor twice. I would love to follow your journey and commend you on how you are handling it. Sending you my prayers and good wishes, try to make the journey work for you.”
Later she would tell me: “Attitude is so important. Fight that cancer. Never give up. And when you are well again, remember all you have learned along the way.”
In addition to her comments on this blog site, Sandi and I also had a year of email exchanges about our cancers, which were, really, conversations about life. She grasped that cancer can kill you, but only you can decide to quit living.
“So back to the bear in the bedroom,” she wrote with prescience -- but without fear -- in what would be her last email to me. “He'll win this round. I just don't know when. One thing I won't let happen is let the bear win until the final round. I can live with him, side by side, but I still plan on enjoying the life I now have with family and friends. He'll just have to settle on being in the back bedroom until my time has come. I won't let my attitude be affected by this. It is still my life, and he can't claim my attitude unless I let him...”
Shalom, Sandi. Shalom.