Connie Sue (Clark) Sanford

A memorial tribute for longtime Gillette resident, Connie Sue Sanford, will be held at Walker Funeral Home on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 2:00 with Erik Bergquist officiating.On April 18, 2015, Connie, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend passed away peacefully at the age of 72 with her loving family by her side after a long battle with an autoimmune liver disease. As was her wish, cremation has taken place.Connie was born the second of five children to Walter (Bud) and Eleanor (Ellison) Clark in Worland, Wyoming on August 29, 1942. After completing high school in 1960, she moved to Buffalo, Wyoming where she met and married Milton (Mickey) Straight. Together, they had two girls, Kelly and Shelly; they later divorced. Connie moved to Gillette in 1965 with her girls and her second husband, Jim Shrimplin; they, too, later divorced. It was in Gillette where Connie met and married her loving husband, Keith Sanford, on November 12, 1976. Together, they made northeast Wyoming their home and added another daughter, Amanda, to their family.Connie was an outstanding mother and homemaker, known for her skills in the kitchen and in the garden and for her ability to sew and/or mend anything put in front of her. She loved to travel with her family and especially enjoyed reuniting with her siblings and her cousin and lifelong friend, Barbara. Over the years, Connie held various jobs in Gillette, including housekeeping supervisor at Super 8, managing the meat department at Decker's Grocery and as a flagger for Cundy Asphalt and Paving. In 1992, she began her career at Campbell County School District. She worked at various schools throughout Gillette, but eventually settled in at Hillcrest Elementary as everyone's favorite "lunch lady" and crossing guard. Her illness forced her to retire in 2011.Among her many dear friends, Connie will be incredibly missed by her husband of 38 years, Keith, her daughters, Kelly (Lee) Wandler, Shelly (Dean) Meyers, both of Gillette and Amanda Sanford (Mike) of Arnold, Missouri and also by her step-children, Sherry (Bob) Hedge, Emery Sanford and Joana Baysinger, her grandchildren, Dani Christopherson, Joshua Robinson, Ashlee Wandler (Eric) and Alicia Wandler, her treasured great-grandchildren, Paiton, Paxton, Jackson, Zach and Zane, her step-grandchildren, Dara, Katie, Brian, Summer, Audrey and Tashina, her sisters Betty (Joe) Belden of Kimball, Nebraska and Peggy (Lee) Soland of Gillette and her brother, Sam Clark of Chickasaw, Oklahoma along with several nieces and nephews. Anxiously awaiting her on the other side will be her parents, her brother Edward, her beloved grandmother, "Gan" and her step-grandson, Michael as well as several aunts and uncles.With tremendous support from Close to Home Hospice in Gillette, Connie was able to pass with the grace and dignity she radiated in life. Therefore, memorials in her name are suggested to benefit this wonderful organization. Condolences may also be sent in care of Walker Funeral Home, 410 Medical Arts Court, Gillette, WY 82716 or via their website: www.walkerfuneralgillette.comFuneral Home:Walker Funeral Home410 Medical Arts CourtGillette, WYUS 82716