Sandra Sandy Sue Hernandez

“Anything is possible.” That is what Sandra Sue Hernandez believed about life. She was a creative woman, a perpetual inventor, who seemed to be able to find a solution for any difficulty confronting her. She had faith in her ability to find those solutions. Sandy thoroughly enjoyed understanding how things worked. She possessed an inquisitive, confident, and rational nature matched with a versatile and agile mind. Sandy was a person who believed that she could achieve whatever she set out to do.

Sandy was born on October 19, 1954 at Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana. Her parents were Felix and Gloria Hernandez. Sandy was raised in Gary, Indiana. She showed her ingenuity even as a child. When she was confronted with a problem, Sandy could develop an imaginative solution, and she derived satisfaction from knowing she had that ability.

This same talent for finding solutions had a positive bearing on Sandy's family relationships. Sandy was raised with four siblings. She had two brothers, George and Felix, and two sisters, Gloria and Teresa. When a difficult situation or dilemma arose within the family, Sandy was always there to help figure out a solution for making things work.

As a young girl, Sandy could be found building and inventing new and different things. She was curious, resourceful and interested in anything original. Sandy took part in basketball where her mother was the assistant coach.

Endowed with an appetite for knowing how her world worked, Sandy enjoyed school, especially when the learning experience involved dissecting and probing the unknown. Sandy was adept at scrutinizing different possibilities and designing innovative solutions. She enjoyed some courses more than others, her favorite class in high school was photography.

Sandy's remarkable talent for being inventive influenced her relationship with her child. She had a knack for finding ways to make everyday events, even chores, enjoyable to her. Sandy was blessed with one child, Sierra. Someone who was quick to laugh, Sandy found it easy to spend lots of time with her, but she was never overbearing or guilty of pushing herself on her.

As a born inventor, Sandy was definitely in her element in her work place. She could easily create new and innovative systems, and incorporate those changes to bring a fresh approach to any work situation. Sandy was a focused worker with a strong drive for achievement. She could assess all of the options before her and, using her analytical skills, could comfortably find answers that no one else had even considered. Her personal initiative inspired those around her. Sandy was always good at getting a project started and then, at the appropriate time, handing it on to a colleague. Her primary occupation was a Software Engineer. She was employed for many different companies as a contractor and even worked on the Y2K bug. Sandy always made an effort to be a team player, doing what was needed and was necessary in order to get the job done.

Sandy's “never say die” attitude and her ability to face any challenge no matter how difficult it might be were tremendous assets that Sandy carried with her into the military. Sandy was a United States Navy veteran. She was in the personnel service department for Naval Station San Diego. Through her hard work and dedication, she earned not only the respect of her fellow service men and women, but also was presented with various awards, including a letter of commendation and a good conduct medal. She achieved the rank of petty officer first class.

Sandy's passion for finding a better way to do things was often an end in itself for her. In fact, that interest by itself became something of a hobby for this perpetual problem solver. Since Sandy was always searching for new and unusual activities, she developed many interests and leisure pursuits. Some of the things she became an “expert” in might come as a surprise to those who knew her, but most friends and family understood that Sandy simply couldn’t be limited to just a few activities or ideas. Her favorite pursuits were expanding her knowledge, rummage sales, and looking for a good deal.

Sandy's calm demeanor and eternally positive outlook served her well in sports. Recreational sports included playing softball for Navy. Sandy was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Top on her list was football.

Faith and religion were important to Sandy. She was a member Our Lady of Perpetual Help. During that time, she was involved in some of the church activities such as the annual carnival and yard sales.

With all of her talents, her ingenuity, her solutions and inventiveness, it is no surprise that Sandy received public recognition for her competence. With the drive and ability to meet any challenge, Sandy accumulated a long list of achievements throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included the good conduct medal and letter of commendation award for eight years served in the United States Navy.

Having the opportunity to visit and explore a new place always intrigued Sandy. Traveling and going away on vacations offered yet another opportunity for Sandy to expand her ever-growing inventory of knowledge. Favorite vacations included Hawaii, and she often frequented Mexico whenever she could with her father.

Sandy was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Sandy's favorites were Emo and Bear, both mixed breed dogs. They were best friends for for years.

Sandy passed away on October 29, 2015 at at home, with her family surrounding her in El Cajon, California. After a year long battle with ovarian cancer we lay our daughter, our sister, our aunt to rest. May she fly with the Angels. She is survived by her mother Gloria, daughter Sierra, and siblings, George, Gloria, Teresa, and Felix. Services were held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Sandy was laid to rest in El Cajon Cemetery in El Cajon, California.

During her lifetime, nothing appeared impossible to Sandy. She met the words “it can’t be done” with the enthusiastic challenge of a “wanna bet!” attitude. Sandy was able to recognize the possibilities a new idea held, even when those around her could not. For Sandy, the traditional way of doing things fell short of her expectations, especially if there were original and untested methods for handling a challenge. For Sandra Sue Hernandez, the fun of living her life could be found in the challenge.