Obituary of Shirley G. Sandstrom

Shirley G. Sandstrom Shirley G. Sandstrom, age 87, recently of Kettering, OH and longtime resident of Erie PA, passed away on Thursday, October 12, 2023. She was born in Erie on July 16, 1936. Shirley joins her husband Paul, who previously passed, her absolute wish, in union again. Shirley and Paul knew each other in the same class at Strong Vincent HS. Paul went off to college at Kenyon College, Shirley went to Mount Holyoke. Good HS friend, Brenda Youngman set them up on their first date at the College Inn on Glenwood Park Ave. (love at first date), and after that there was frequent train travel between Gambier and Holyoke. Shirley admired Eleanor Roosevelt, who represented to her an independent free-thinking woman. Her parents instilled an appreciation of critical thinking, and (with her whole family) how to engage in free discourse, sharing opinion without the need of agreement, but to be heard and have a bit of a good time along the way in debate. She started her career as a mathematician with General Electric working on the Apollo Project for moon shots, programming successors to the ENIAC computer system to calculate rocket trajectories to get them to the moon, although, she started her family with Paul prior to the first launch. Shirley also had a passion helping her community, being active in church, meals on wheels, and tutoring students in math to support their studies. She loved playing with the grandkids, singing in the Viking Chorus, bowling, golf, and travel. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents James Totman Gillespie and Marion Saurborn Gillespie and sister Virginia Hall. She is survived by her sister Barbara Boyle of Erie and brother James Gillespie, Jr. (Shirley), her children: Paul Eric Sandstrom (Thillai) of Gerrardstown, WV, John Sandstrom (Sabine) of West Chester, PA, Robert Mark Sandstrom of Erie, and Kristin Schreel (Christopher) of Kettering, OH, grandchildren: Rose Chonko (Matt), Rachel Flora (Brett), Iuna DeSousa, Hannah Knarr, Peter Sandstrom (Jen), Alex Duffy, Tori and Matthew Sandstrom, and Lilly, Kate, and Thurman Schreel. Friends may call at the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, 4216 Sterrettania Rd., on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 from 4-7 p.m. Shirley’s life will be celebrated at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 10 a.m. Interment Laurel Hill Cemetery.