Sandra Conrad Hartman

Sandra Conrad Hartman, known to all as Sandy, died on August 4, 2025. Sandy was modest; she wouldn’t have wanted a gushing tribute. But she lived her life in service to others—especially her children and grandchildren. At the end of her 75 years, we can’t help but look back and commemorate her intelligence, wit, and heart. (Sorry, Mom.)

Sandy was born on December 6, 1949, in Bakersville, North Carolina. She was a voracious reader and outstanding student, and she excelled at just about everything she did. In 1968, she graduated as salutatorian from Bowman High School in Bakersville.

At Wake Forest University, where she was a Hankins Scholar, Sandy studied speech and debate. After completing her bachelor's in speech in 1972, she was awarded a scholarship to Old Dominion University, where she earned a master’s degree in special education. She found great fulfillment working with children who needed extra attention and kindness.

Sandy met Randy Byron Hartman while studying at Wake Forest. They married and moved first to his hometown in rural North Carolina, then to Florida. They had three children—Heather, Zachary, and Victoria.

Sandy took care of everyone and everything around her, pouring herself into her children’s lives and giving them a childhood filled with love and security. She was devoted, fiercely independent, and capable, shouldering the demands of raising her children with remarkable strength and resourcefulness. She carried that same determination into the creative and thoughtful pursuits that brought her happiness: playing guitar and piano, listening to music, reading, writing, drawing, quilting, learning new languages, and tackling puzzles. She enjoyed Stephen Sondheim, Stephen King, Alan Bennett, Nora Ephron, Christopher Guest, and Monty Python. She was gifted not only at creating things, but also at understanding and repairing them. Moreover, she brought a special kind of insight and problem-solving to every situation and adversity she faced.

She was the center of her family; she was the mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who was always there, every time she was needed. She really listened to people and she remembered the little things. She knew how to make someone feel loved and never hesitated to put the needs of those she loved before her own.

Sandy will be remembered for her grounded intelligence, quiet wisdom, selfless nature, and self-assuredness. She knew who she was, she knew who and what she loved, and she taught us all to be a bit better at taking care of each other.

Sandy is survived by her children, Heather Hartman (Ryan Eppenberger), Zachary (Jessica) Hartman, and Victoria Hartman (Alex Stanciu); her grandchildren, Nicholas, Lucy, Elias, Asher, and Oliver; her sister Lisa C. Elliott; and her nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents, George W. Conrad and Mildred Brinkley Conrad; her husband, Dr. Randy B. Hartman; and her sisters Louise Woodard and Patricia Conrad.

If you’d like to honor Sandy, donations can be made in her memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Shriners Children's, Transitions LifeCare of Raleigh, or Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Memorial tributes and messages of sympathy can be left by clicking the “Add a Memory” box below. Brown Wynne of Cary is honored to serve the Hartman family.