Obituary of Sandra Jane Hicks

Sandra Jane (Wood) Hicks, known to those who loved her as Sandy, was born August 3, 1958 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and died surrounded by loved ones in her daughter's home in Colorado Springs on April 4, 2019.Though her life was short, it was full. Her childhood as a self-proclaimed "Air Force brat" instilled a lifelong love of travel and appreciation of different cultures. The Wood family eventually settled in Denver, and in 6th grade Sandy found her lifelong spiritual home, St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Montbello. Experiences with faith leaders and Denver's integrated schools led Sandy to commit to a lifelong mission of education, and she attended Concordia University, Nebraska to receive her baccalaureate. Her first call as a teaching minister took her to Trinity Lutheran in Monroe Michigan, where she made lifelong friends and touched the lives of countless 7th and 8th graders.Sandy spent "eighteen years in purgatory" (Michigan), during which she met her husband, Jeffrey, and gave birth to her three children: Parker, Mallory and Chandler. She brought her family out of the wilderness as soon as she could, and in 1998 the Hicks family moved to Aurora, Colorado.Throughout her life, Sandy fostered a rich variety of communities, including religious education, writing and publishing, and charitable work. She wrote several published novels, founded a company which led the charge into electronic books, taught elementary and high school, and still found time to run a marathon, and jump out of an airplane.Most of her adult life, Sandy lived with Type II diabetes. Over the last several years, her health conditions became more complex and difficult to manage. In early 2019, it became clear there were no further treatment options. Sandy chose to enter hospice, and finish her life in the company of her children and loved ones, spending three weeks celebrating with them before dying peacefully in the early morning of April 4.Sandra is survived by her three children, Parker (Allison) Hicks, Mallory (Ethan) Everhart and Chandler Hicks; her husband, Jeffrey Hicks; father, Robert G. Wood, Sr.; mother, Margaret Castle; brother, Robert G., Jr. (Lori Kessler) Wood; and two sisters, Linda (Steve) Skelton and Deb (Jeff) Stensland. Visitation, 12:00PM, followed by a Funeral Service, 1:00PM, Saturday, April 13, 2019, Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, 3290 South Tower Road, Aurora, Colorado 80013. A luncheon will follow provided by the Peace With Christ community.While flowers are appreciated, those wishing to honor Sandy's life may also contribute to her memorial fund at�https://www.gofundme.com/sandra-hicks-memorial-fund Events Visitation Saturday, April 13, 2019 12:00PM - 1:00PM Peace With Christ Lutheran Church 3290 South Tower Road Aurora, CO 80013 Phone: (303) 693-5618 Funeral Service Saturday, April 13, 2019 1:00PM Peace With Christ Lutheran Church 3290 South Tower Road Aurora, CO 80013 Phone: (303) 693-5618