Sandra Buie Engert, died at the age of 77 on Saturday, June 22, 2019 in Vitas Hospice Care surrounded by family. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 31st at 3 p.m. at Saint Richard's Episcopal Church preceded by interring her cremated remains in the St. Richard's Memorial Garden at 2:30 p.m. A reception will follow the service. St. Richard's is located at 5151 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, Florida 32792. 407-671-4211.

Casual dress: no ties, jackets, or suits! No kidding.

Sandy is preceded in death by her father Louis Daniel Buie, her mother Bette Jane Simpson Buie and her younger sister Bette "Betsy" Miller of Winter Park.

Survivors include her sister, Diane Crichlow of Winston-Salem, NC; husband Barth Engert of Winter Park, daughter Pam Prow of Spring Grove IL., son Andrew Engert of Winter Park, daughter Lisa Diane Redhead of Sarasota, grandchildren Lisa Marie Graziano, Kaitlyn Carmagnola, Trinity Redhead, Sabre Redhead, and great-grandchildren Logan Jackson and Bella Jackson, and several nieces and nephews.

Her son Andy made several pages of notes (17 so far!) full of his memories that he wanted to share with friends and family. We have included a condensed version of the first few pages in bullet format for ease of reading:

Things I remember about mom:

• the times that she took me shopping at Publix or Walmart and the times that my mom and dad took me to Costco to do shopping and I would get lunch there while they shopped for things.
• the times Mom and I would go to lunch at Wendy's or Steak n Shake or Johnny's Diner to eat after doctor's appointments whenever I have had to go or to church whenever I have had to be there.
• we would get books from the Free Library at church.
• when Mom had to go serve meals at Grace and Grits and catered lunches at church; whenever there were functions going on there like meetings for the backpacks function she would always help with it and her and the ladies of the church would serve sandwiches and chips or hot dogs and chips and ice cream.
• she would buy me new clothes whenever I have had to have them.
• putting on my birthday functions at church- she would invite the members of church and my friends also.
• She would sit in our family room at the counter and read a book and watch Chicago PD or Chicago Med or Chicago Fire on TV and she and I would always watch them on Wednesday nights.
• my dad and my mom would stay up with me whenever Florida State football games were on and we would sit and watch the entire games on TV. My mom would buy me goodies at the store for when the games were on.
• and my mom and dad took me to Washington DC to see everything like going to the White House to take a tour, we went the museum in Washington DC and to Arlington National Cemetery to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there, and The Capital to take a tour.
• we would sit around the dining room table and have Thanksgiving meals together and for Christmas, Mom would make cheese souffle for breakfast then we would go to church together and Christmas Eve too and I am going to miss those good times with her that we had together.
• she took care of me for 49 years in our house growing up here and she will be missed very dearly and very much by me.
• it just won't be the same without her for the holidays and celebrations.
• now that she is gone my dad is going to have to buy my birthday cake for my 50th birthday (in September).
• and come this October is my mom's birthday and it will be a very quiet one without her and I will always remember her on her birthday.
• I will miss not having her around to watch college football on TV with me because we would sit around our counter and watch together and when it does come on, I will always remember the good times that we had together sitting around the counter watching Fourth of July celebrations on TV or college football.

I wanted to share about her and how very special she was to me and she will be missed very much by me.

-Andy

Sandy is a graduate of St. Petersburg High School, St. Pete Junior College and a member of the first graduating class of the University of South Florida, Tampa. She married Barth on August 10th, 1963 in St. Anselm's Episcopal Chapel in the first wedding on the USF campus in Tampa. Their first home together was on-campus housing as they served as RA's at USF, Tampa. Though she burned their first meal, a pot roast, Sandy developed a passion for cooking- something we are all very thankful for! They lived for a short time in Bloomington, Indiana and then returned to Florida. First Tampa and then in 1968 to Winter Park where Barth was a charter member of the administration of Florida Technological University (now UCF). Sandy was president of the University Women's Club in 1972.

Together they raised three children Pam, Andy, and Lisa Diane in their Winter Park home. Sandy was very active in the Episcopal church, catering, and worked as the secretary for the Rollins Art Department. Sandy had a passion for cooking and feeding others and so she did! Catering and heading up events at church. Her meals were always very colorful as "it was important to provide a feast for the eyes and not just the stomach." Parsley was a part of most every meal, often added during the meal! She was an avid reader and wanted others to always have something to read and so she sponsored the "Little Free Library" established on the St. Richard's lawn. She was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, a member of Daughters of the King, and St. Margaret's Guild at St. Richards.

Family and family-time were of utmost importance to Sandy. She often said the greatest gifts she received were when we were together; making meals and then enjoying them as a family, playing card games such as Hand & Foot or Spoons, watching TV together, watching the sunset at Turtle Beach, Sarasota and having her toes in the sand, feeling the waves crash against her legs, and of course, the always coveted Family Photo– which we managed to accomplish too few times! Sandy marveled at the simplest of things and found the good in everyone she met. She took great pride in her rose garden, really Barth's, and shared roses with neighbors, friends, teachers, and anyone she knew needed them and anytime that was, there would be at least one on the bushes.

In her last days, Mom was frustrated because of previous mini strokes, she could not put pen to paper. She said that she was "writing letters in her mind" to tell her many friends and loved ones how much she loved them and appreciated their friendship.  "Tell them for me," she asked.

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In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Sandy may be directed to:

St. Richard's Episcopal Church Memorial Fund

5151 Lake Howell Road

Winter Park Florida 32792.

http://www.strichards.org/giving         In Memory of Sandy Engert