Sandra Violet Tabbernee (nee Parker) passed away on March 13, 2013 in Bartlett, IL following a courageous battle with Cancer.

Sandra was born on December 6, 1941 in Melbourne, Australia and was the daughter of the late Ernest and Lilian (Clark) Parker.  Sandra was married to William Tabbernee from 1966-2010 and together they had three children.

Sandra grew up in Coburg, Australia and raised her family as a stay-at-home mother in Glen Iris, New Haven (USA), East Doncaster and Burwood.  In 1991, she moved to Enid, OK and later Tulsa, OK.   In 2010, she moved to Schaumburg, IL. 

She left school at age 16 but, as an adult, Sandra went back to get her High School Diploma.  Eventually she completed college degrees in Social Work and Counseling.  Once her children were grown, Sandra spent the majority of her professional career as a social worker and licensed professional counselor.  Finally, she operated her own counseling practice in Tulsa, OK.  During her life, Sandra was active with many charitable organizations.

Sandra was very creative and enjoyed drawing, painting, knitting and cross stitch.  She loved music and was able to play the piano, autoharp and mountain dulcimer.  She had a beautiful singing voice and, in her younger years, sang and was recorded in choirs.  Learning and bettering herself was important to Sandra, resulting in much reading and further education.  Sandra's spiritual roots were in Christianity but she enjoyed the teachings of many spiritual cultures.  Most of all, Sandra loved spending time with family and friends. 

Sandra will be remembered as a humble and loyal person with an incredible talent for listening.  She was generous, compassionate, loving, gracious and strong with a smile that could light up a room.

Sandra is survived by her loving children and their spouses Nicole and Scott Close, Jason and Erica Tabbernee, and Michelle and Scott Schwartz.  She is further survived by her beloved grandchildren Andrew Close, Adam Close, Mya Tabbernee, Kai Schwartz and Joshua Schwartz.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Leslie (and his wife Cathy) Parker.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Clare Oaks Assisi Health Care Center and Journey Care Hospice for their exceptional care and compassion during Sandra's final weeks.

The journey of Sandra's life provided her the opportunity to make friends all over the world.  Given the impracticality of gathering all those people in one place, it is the family's wish that Sandra's friends and family (wherever they are) participate in an international candle lighting ceremony on Saturday March 23, 2013 at 5pm (USA CST) = Sunday March 24, 2013 at 9am (Australia EST) to commemorate her.  Each person or group of friends is invited to perform a candle lighting memorial in the manner in which they feel most comfortable with – maybe a moment of silence, a prayer, a poem, a passage, or a personal message to read while the candle burns. 

Immediate family will be holding a private funeral.

Click here for a montage of Sandra's life

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Heifer International (www.heifer.org) or Children's Wish Foundation (http://www.childrenswish.org).