Sandra Alice Yorston

Sandra Alice Yorston, born to Roy and Helen Yorston, on September 3, 1944, in Toronto slipped peacefully away on May 30, 2022, with her faithful partner, Denise, by her side at the Margaret Bahen Hospice, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Sandy graduated from Runnymede C.I. in 1964, attended Ryerson for one year, then began working at Canada Packers,(which later became Maple Leaf Foods), in the meat lab. Shortly after beginning working Sandy was moved into the Shur-Gain lab where she worked as a lab technologist. Her last move within the company was into Research and Development for the animal feed division where she remained until her retirement after 41 dedicated years.

Sandy loved all sports. She started playing hockey at a young age and was a member of the team that won the first women’s hockey tournament in Wallaceburg. Sandy played fast-pitch softball at Fairbank Park in Toronto, ultimately becoming a coach leading many teams to victory over the years. Not sure if she also didn’t lead some of the members of those teams in successfully raising a glass or doing shooters! Sandy was a member of the Fairbank League for many years and was also an executive and directed their annual tournament for several years. During the winter months, she played basketball in the old City of York simply to keep in shape. Many wonderful and long-lasting friendships were made as a result of her involvement in sports.

After retiring from playing and coaching sports, Sandy and Denise became involved with Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dogs, successfully competing in conformation, obedience, and agility. They often travelled to the southern US to compete in working field trials, winning a multitude of awards with their dogs. Along that path, they met a lot of wonderful people who have become precious and dear friends.

Sandy had an amazing sense of humour, an unmatched optimistic outlook and always loved to laugh and have a good time. Being a social person, she was always ready to have a glass of Scotch with anyone who would join her for a toast to a great day with family and friends. Whether it was Heli-hiking in British Columbia or boating with friends in the Yazoo River in Mississippi, Sandy willingly shared her zest for life and was always up for a new adventure.

One of the most important things to Sandy was all the wonderful friends that she made throughout her lifetime. She was always ready to lend a helping hand, a listening ear or share a hug of moral support. Sandy was most certainly someone you could always count on. The results of that were repeatedly displayed by all the visits, messages and phone calls, especially during the past 3 ½ years, from numerous friends across the globe.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her older brother, Barry.

Left to cherish her memory are her partner of 45 years, Denise; her brother Ronnie (Joanne); niece Meghan; niece Debbie and family; her nephew Scott and family; and her niece Cheryl and family.

We would like to thank our oncologist, Dr. Amira Rana (Stronach Cancer Clinic) and her nurse Gerry. They helped to make Sandy’s journey through treatments much more bearable.

Thank you to both Dr. H. Yuen and Dr. A. Baguio at the Stronach Cancer Centre for being such a source of great strength and encouragement and helping to make sure that Sandy was comfortable.

A huge thank you to Chandra at the pain management clinic of the Stronach Cancer Centre. Without Chandra this journey would have been much harder. She has been our rock and go to person throughout this whole ordeal and we cannot thank her enough.

Thank you to Temi, our primary home care nurse. Temi brought a light into the house each and every time he visited and Sandy always had a smile on his face after his visit.

We would like to thank the fabulously gracious staff at the Margaret Bahen Hospice who made Sandy feel like a queen for her last week, diligently ensuring her every need was met.

Rest in peace Sandy! You can now walk the dogs, play sports or cast a fishing line free of limits or pain. You will be missed by family, all the great friends and neighbours who have been touched by your radiant light along life’s journey. When we see a glint in the sky, we will know that you’re lifting a glass of Scotch and we, too, will salute you!

Donations may be made to the Margaret Bahen Hospice in Newmarket.

A Memorial Celebration of Life will be held at a future date closer to her birthday as she did love to celebrate that for at least a month!

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ThompsonFH-Aurora.com for the Yorston family.