Whitehorse Daily Star

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Sandra Copeland 


1953-2022



Sandra had a restless spirit and craved adventure. That spirit prompted her to leave Florida, where she was raised, and move to Toronto by herself when she was just 18.

In 1979, by then a single mother, she moved across the country with her young daughter, Jennifer, to Whitehorse to pursue more adventures. There she developed her passion for social justice, fairness, and feminism and she worked tirelessly for these causes throughout her life. She also built a new family made of great friends and like-minded, proud feminists.

Determined to create a better future for herself and Jennifer, she obtained a BA at the University of Alberta. She and Jennifer eventually settled in Edmonton.

She was passionate about cats and loved hers dearly. She also loved to travel and cruise with Jennifer and was so proud to have seen the places she always dreamed of seeing, like the Pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings, Petra, Machu Picchu, the Dead Sea, and Masada.

Ever a rule-breaker, she kissed a kangaroo in Australia, was bitten by a camel in Jordan, and snuck past the guards to hug the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

Before she passed, she was plotting more adventures and spoke often of her desire to sell all her belongings, buy a van, and drive off into the sunset to continue her travels. 



Safe travels, Mom.

Comments (2)

Virginia Labelle on Nov 4, 2022 at 7:02 pm

What fun to have known Sandy! Met her through our various feminist activities - along with the usual suspects like Diane Seidel and Debra Dungey - in the early 80's...and she was the JP who married Tom and I on the Tutshi in Carcross on June 30, 1984! Never to be forgotten, gone too soon!

Donna Dornian on Nov 4, 2022 at 5:02 pm

So sorry for your loss. I remember Sandy well. She had a great sense of humour and was a mover and shaker of the women's movement in Whitehorse. I remember you as well as we lived on the other side of the duplex on 4th ave. It is now part of the Transition Home which is fitting.

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