WALKER,Sandra Anita-Ann
(Hoedl/Witt)
December 4, 1960 - January 12, 2017
After a long week of disbelief and tears, we are sad to announce the sudden passing of our mom, Sandra Walker, better known as Sam. Sandra was born in Grande Prairie on December 4th, 1960. She came into the world early and weighed a mere 2 pounds 13 ounces. Although she was tiny, she was mighty, and from the day she was born she was fearless and eager to take on the world. After her infant sister, Roxanne, passed away, Sandra spent the early part of her childhood being raised by her beloved grandparents, Frank and Eva Fitzgerald, on their farm outside of Valleyview. With her grandma’s cooking and her grandpa’s wisdom, Sandra thrived and she always spoke of how this was a most special time for her. She loved to tell stories of how her grandma would lovingly water her artificial plants and how her grandpa loved to watch wrestling. When she was six years old Sandra was reunited with her mother, Beverly Ann, and her new baby sister, Rhonda. They moved to Haney, BC as a family. Her love for the west coast began during this time and even though she moved back to Alberta a short time later, a piece of her heart remained in B.C. Upon moving back to Grande Prairie, what she didn’t know, was that her “Angel on Earth”, Joseph Hoedl, was about to enter her life. He was a tall, handsome farm boy with more integrity, patience and love to offer than she had ever known. He married Beverly and quickly adopted Sandra and Rhonda into his heart as his precious daughters. When Sandra was 14, Bev and Joe blessed her and Rhonda with a baby brother they named Garry. Although Sandra lost her mother at age 26, Joe continued to be Sandra’s hero every single day of her life. Joe later remarried a lovely lady, Linda Maxwell. Sandra was so thankful for her love and for keeping her dads garage sale purchases in check over the years. Sandra was also grateful for the addition of two stepbrothers, Stephen and Daniel into her family. Sandra graduated from John G. Diefenbaker High School in Calgary, Alberta, and married her high school Sweetheart, Lyle Witt, on Valentines Day, 1980. On November 28 of that same year, Sandra gave birth to her first daughter, Jennifer Anne Witt. Although young, she was a loving and tender mother who always did her best. After growing up with little money, she always felt like a really good mom when the fridge was full, often buying a case of pop just to fill any empty spaces. Sandra and Lyle moved to Drumheller, Alberta, shortly after Jennifer was born. They purchased a home and began building their life there. At this time, Sandra also began her career with the ALCB. Due to her exemplary work ethic and her driven personality, Sandra quickly rose to a management position which she maintained until the ALCB privatized. She made many friendships at the Drumheller, Calgary, and Banff locations which she cherished always. Although Sandra and Lyle’s marriage didn’t last, their friendship never ended. They continued to call and check up on each other on a regular basis, often laughing until their sides ached. Sandra used to joke saying that “Lyle made a way better friend than a husband” and his friendship was something she was very grateful for over the years. In 1987 mutual friends introduced Sandra to Trevor Walker. Sparks flew and they soon began dating. On August 29th, 1992, surrounded by friends and family, they boarded the ferry at Heritage Park in Calgary, on the windiest day of the year, to be wed. They moved several times together, but first settled in Drumheller where they were blessed with two more children, a daughter, Megan Page Walker on January 12th, 1994, and a son, Tyler David Walker on January 15th, 1996. These two would continue to be referred to as “the kids” even into adulthood, as they were her babies. As an only child they were the gifts that Jennie had been wanting for years and the gifts for which she was the most grateful. During Sandra’s marriage to Trevor, they built their dream house at Lake Newell and worked alongside each other to build a successful company which they were both proud of. Her meticulous bookkeeping, lovable personality, and her ability to teach herself almost anything greatly contributed to the success of the business. When Sandra and Trevor parted ways, her love for the west coast was reignited. In her 56 years, she moved over 20 times, and when Sandra settled in Victoria, she said that she never wanted to move again and that is where her heart was. She wanted to spend the rest of her life being an Islander. As hard as it was for her family and friends to have her be so far away, she was happy and truly loved it there. Sandra was excited for this new chapter in her life. In her short time on the island, she accomplished many things. Sandra reunited with her dear Aunt Vivian (Fitzgerald). The two of them grew extremely close and this filled a void in Sandra’s heart that was present since she lost her mother. Sandra and Jennifer spent a lot of time together in Victoria and laughed at how new condo rules were created every time Jennifer visited because of their laughter at late hours on the patio, or their hammering and hanging pictures at two in the morning. She made a beautiful friend, Maia Biel, who loved her dearly and was a huge support to her this last year. Sandra had a heart for those in need and loved going with her granddaughter, Isabella to hand out blessing bags to those living on the streets of Victoria. Sandra loved all of her friends and family, but her heart was truly smitten for her two beautiful granddaughters, Isabella Ciela-Anne Witt, born premature like her grandma on June 27th, 2006, and McKenna Hailee Walker-Perry born September 23rd, 2013. Sandra’s goal was to be the “grandma that everyone had stories about” and was lovingly referred to as “Crazy Gramma Sam”. Being a grandma was Sandra’s true calling, she loved to steal their chocolate, teach them responsibility, and make them laugh. She will be forever missed by these two little ladies. As we promised, the three of us children are throwing our mom a party. Please join us at the Heritage Inn and Suites in Brooks, Alberta at 2pm on Thursday, February 2nd 2017 to raise a glass of “house red” to celebrate the life of this remarkable and unforgettable woman. Moms well known lasagna and apple crisp will be served afterwards. In lieu of flowers, we ask that everyone bring as many stories of our mom as possible so that we may fulfill her wish to write a book about how someone that was so brilliant could be so “blonde”. We will also be accepting monetary donations for the Brooks Women’s Shelter to be donated in Sandra’s name.
