Sandra Lynn "Sandy" Willcox

Sandra Lynn ‘Sandy’ Willcox died at home Sunday morning July 24, 2016. She finally surrendered to a two-year battle with liver cancer, bone cancer, a stroke, and a total hip reconstruction.
Sandy was born Dec. 7, 1953 to Ray O. Willcox and Joanne M. (Winters) Willcox in Clarkston, WA. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Missoula where Ray began working at the newly constructed pulp mill. The family settled in Piltzville, where Sandy attended the Bonner grade school and subsequently graduated from Sentinel High School in Missoula. After high school, she worked briefly at a local title company before securing a job at the University of Montana. Most of her 28 years at UM were spent in the Continuing Education Department where she eventually became the Division Manager for Extended Studies & Summer Program. Sandy took the concept of continuing education very seriously and managed to secure bachelor’s degree in business administration over the span of 25 years of taking courses.
In 1979, Sandy met the man who would eventually become the love of her life – only he did not yet realize it. After a year and a half, he dumped her to pursue other interests. Sandy continued to make progress in her career, education, and her favorite pursuits of knitting items using the yarn she spun on her spinning wheel, sewing clothing and endless household fabric items, and preparing a great variety of food items. In 1992, Walt Briggs returned to Missoula on a visit from Alaska and met Sandy for the first time in eleven years. Something clicked and they were married on February 14, 1994. Sandy’s interest in international travel blossomed and the couple made numerous trips to Europe and the UK in addition to extended trips throughout the US, including Alaska. Sandy did not seek miserable accommodations, but did accompany her husband on frequent hunting trips involving the use of a tent and eventually had the harvest of two antelope to her credit. She truly embraced life and sought ways to help others find more joy in their own lives. For a long time Sandy felt a part of her life was lacking in that she had no formal affiliation with an organized religion. Her search eventually culminated with her joining the Catholic Church at Saint Anthony’s parish on April 16, 2016. This act was to bring her great comfort in the coming months.
Sandy was preceded in death by her father, Ray, and is survived by her mother Joanne of Missoula; her only sister, Karen and husband Micah Arney of Big Lake, TX; her husband Walt Briggs of Missoula; and her step-daughter Brit Briggs and husband Tim Lieberman of Issaquah, WA.
In keeping with Sandy’s rather special shy love for others, she chose to avoid troubling her friends with the need to gather to say their farewells. Instead, she wanted to encourage each friend to perform a random act of kindness in her name.