Service Details
SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2020
VISITATION: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
MEMORIAL SERVICE: 2:00 p.m.
DRAEGER-LANGENDORF FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY
Memorial Suggestions
Memorials have been suggested to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
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Flowers by Joseph
CALEDONIA (formerly of Racine and Henderson, NV) – Mrs. Sandra Jean Syslack-Francis, 75, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at Shorelight Memory Care on Monday, February 17, 2020.
She was born in Racine on January 22, 1945, the daughter of the late Stanley and Marion (nee: Sorensen) Syslack. Sandy was raised in Racine, graduating from Park High School in 1963. After graduating from UW Stout in 1967 she wanted to move to a warmer climate and took a teaching job in Las Vegas. She took a break from teaching and worked as a flight attendant from 1969 until 1971 with the Flying Tigers Airline, a transport service for soldiers during the Vietnam War. She had a long career teaching home economics in the Clark County, NV public school system, earning a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Sandy was an active member of Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, NV and a proud member of the Sons of Norway. She was a world traveler, with trips to the Arctic Ocean, New Zealand, Kenya, China, Norway and other places in Europe.
On December 27, 1997 she married John Edwin Francis. They resided in Henderson, Nevada and continued to travel, ski and play golf at Black Mountain Golf Course. He preceded her in death on March 10, 2016.
In 2017 she returned to Racine and joined the Ives Grove Women’s Golf League and the Johnson’s Women’s Golf League until her Parkinson’s disease prevented her from playing golf.
She is survived by her siblings, Jeff (Mary) Syslack of Brookfield, Joan (Rollie) Niebuhr of LaCrosse, Bob (Connie) Syslack of Somers; her step-sister, Leah Held of Racine; as well as many dear nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
In accordance with her wishes, a cremation has taken place. Family and friends are invited to meet in the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home and Crematory on Sunday, March 8, 2020 for a visitation at 1:00 p.m. and a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuelson officiating. She will be interred with her husband John at Graceland Cemetery. Memorials have been suggested to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Sandy’s family extended a heartfelt thank you to the entire staff at St. Croix Hospice and Shorelight Memory Care for the loving and professional attention she received while under their care.
Trudy Cunningham says
Sandy was a truly delightful person. Her cheerful, happy demeanor was contagious and refreshing. She was truly a gifted athlete I enjoyed playing tennis with her over many years, She was a joy on and off the court. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to her family. She reveled in her Wisconsin roots, and the family she treasured there. Peace and love to all of you. I pray your beautiful memories of Sandy will sustain you in your sorrow.
Trudy Cunningham
Nicole Reid of Shorelight Memory Care says
To Sandy’s Family, I want to share my favorite memory of her. Sandy had the best imagination! One of the art projects that we did together was to create Rorschach Test pattern paintings with different colored paints squirted onto paper and then folded in half. Once all the paintings were completed I took them around the room and asked the residents what the images looked like to them. There was one image that most residents saw as either a pink fan or sea shell. But not Sandy! She said she saw a baseball player who had hurt his thumb. Everyone in the room, including herself, burst out laughing. Wow! I exclaimed, no one else could have come up with that one! But then, as we continued to examine the painting, sure enough, I saw what she saw. To Sandy, the shell shape was a baseball mitt and sticking out below it was a red paint streak shaped like a thumb. It was truly an honor to work with her. I will miss her dearly and I’m forever grateful that you were able to be by her side in her final moments. Thank you.
Don Sorensen says
I have many happy memories with Sandy. Love to all her family and friends.
Judi Rice says
I am so sorry to hear about Sandy, Prayers to you and your family.
Trude Mihalovich Pletcher says
No one could have a better best friend than Sandy. We met at Stout as we pledged the same sorority. The rest is history. We shared so many fun times together, even though she chose to go to Las Vegas to teach, leaving the rest of us behind in WI. A true friend that only happens to very lucky people in a life time, Sandy was with me and supported me through all of the good and bad times. Some of our most fun times were annual trips to Door County for shopping, tennis, golf, and laughter. The Syslack family adopted me, and I was included in the family celebrations. Thank you to all as we remember and appreciate our lives with Sandy.