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Santina “Sandy” Sillivan (May 13, 1927 — November 16, 2018)

Santina “Sandy” Sillivan, our “Little Mother” and “Nana,” our beautiful wife, loving sister and amazing friend died in her sleep at the age of 91 last Friday, November 16. Sandy was born on May 13, 1927, in Massachusetts, moved to California at the age of 27, but resided in Carbondale from 1970 onward. She was the daughter of Charlie and Mary Peluso. She married Don Sillivan on November 8, 1964, in Sunnyvale, CA. They had two children, Destry and Valerie.

Don brought Sandy, with some significant resistance, to Carbondale to live in the country. This lifestyle was foreign to Sandy because she was a Bostonian from head to toe. Sandy adjusted slowly to the West and this rural part of Colorado. Don and Sandy lived and raised their family in Carbondale for 46 years. She always missed her roots in Massachusetts, but soon her husband, son and daughter helped her grow to love the easy and slower pace that the country brought — or if not love, then grudgingly tolerate it. Sandy even loved to listen to country music at times. Sandy loved her family; she always said she was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom.

Sandy’s great pastime, aside from her family, was to play cards, often poker, especially Texas Hold-Em. But any card game would suffice. Sandy would often stay up late nights with Val and her friends playing, and would boast about winning and make us all laugh. She also loved to go to casinos and gamble, playing the poker machines and celebrating her wins. Don and Sandy loved to dance, and they were good at it. You could also find them on the Glenwood Springs Golf Course socializing and enjoying the game of golf during earlier years. We all loved to hear Sandy’s stories, delivered in a thick accent from Boston.

Her most remarkable trait was her kindness. In her later years Sandy loved to spend time with her grandchildren and her family. She was delighted to see them, and they always brought a smile to her face. In the last few years she was blessed to be able to stay in her home and had wonderful caregivers who became some of her closest friends. She would also refer to them as her angels. Her husband Don was her champion, kept her safe and cared for and made sure her needs were met. Her memory will be cherished, and the love that she gave will keep our hearts full.

Santina is survived by her husband of 54 years, Don Sillivan of Carbondale, CO; Destry & (Raquel) Sillivan of Bowie, Maryland, and Valerie & (Craig) Sjoerdsma of Meeker, CO; 5 grandchildren: Tristan, Tanner and Trey Sillivan of Bowie, Maryland, and Kai & Boomer Sjoerdsma of Meeker; 3 stepgrandchildren of Colorado Springs; 3 sisters, her caregivers Jill Ulrich of Carbondale, CO, Andrea Gomez of Glenwood Springs, CO, and Marke of El Jebel, Colorado; and her dear cat Tootie of Carbondale, CO.

A graveside service will take place Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at 12:00 pm at Evergreen Cemetery, Carbondale, Colorado, followed by a Celebration of Life at 2:00 pm at the Orchard-Church at Carbondale.

The family is requesting no flowers, and memorial donations may be made to home health care.


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