Obituary of Sandra Pauline Lee Chapin

OCTOBER 13, 1944.   FEBURARY 21, 2023

SANDRA (SANDY) PAULINE LEE CHAPIN passed away after succumbing to the ravages of Parkinson’s disease on February 21, 2023, with her husband Bo and son Ned at her bedside. Her three sisters, their husbands and other family were around her until late evening sharing stories of joy and laughter which Sandy appeared to enjoy as well.

Sandy was born in Grand Forks, ND, to Pauline Juhlke Lee and Daniel Sander Lee, who was then a Navy pilot away on assignment during World War II. Sandy and her four siblings were raised in Page and Gwinner, ND. Sandy graduated from Concordia College of Moorhead, MN, and North Dakota State University of Fargo, ND, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education. She taught high school in Bell, FL, and Staples, MN, after which she moved to Sterling, CO, where she taught for 17 years at Northeastern Junior College. She received a second master’s degree in school administration from UNC in Greeley. Sandy established a pre-school program in Brush, then worked at the Morgan County Family Center and High Plains BOCES in Fort Morgan, until retiring in 2010.

Sandy met her husband Robert (Bo) Chapin in Sterling and they were married in December, 1977, at a great friends’ rustic, one-holer cabin north of Silverthorne on Pebble Creek. They settled in Snyder and lived there until mid-2017, when they moved to Greeley.

Sandy was a dedicated equestrian for her entire adult life with many horses over time. She participated primarily in dressage, eventing and trail riding, with her favorite affiliation being an active member of the Northern Colorado Backcountry Horsemen. The advancing effects of Parkinson’s disease forced her to end her horseback activities.

Sandy also had other interests including needlework, sewing where she designed and sold rain slickers for horseback riding, skiing, backpacking and hiking in the Colorado mountains.

Sandy is survived by her husband Bo; her son Edwin (Trinette) Chapin and two grandchildren Delaney and Dylan; and sisters Mary (John) Edman, Paula (Michael) Miller, and Marva (Tim) Fairchild. Her parents and brother Dan Jr. predeceased her.

A celebratory memorial service will be held at the Brush United Methodist Church at 2:00 PM on March 24, 2023. Burial is planned for this summer in Gwinner, ND.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sandy’s memory to Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity (www.greeleyhabitat.org) would be greatly appreciated.