Sandra Mercedes Hooper of Courtdale left this life on July 24, 2022 at the age of 82 after bravely facing life-threatening conditions compounded by COVID.
Sandy’s greatest love was always her four children: Tracey (Syreika) of Courtdale, and Thomas “Tommy” Doan (father Lee Doan), deceased; Patrick Hooper of Lancaster (father Eugene Ader), and Arthur Hooper (father Arthur Hooper) of Swoyersville. Sandy also leaves behind five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Born in Newark, New Jersey on March 24, 1940, Sandy was the first of three daughters for Eileen Margaret Woods and Julian Adleman. Sandy’s sister Bonnie (Noland) was born one year later. Growing up in the Newark suburb of Belleville, Sandy was known as a tomboy, always up for adventure. Her lively personality drew many friends to her circle and she was always close to and protective of her little sister. Her third sister, Wendy (Gorski), was born twelve years later.
Although Sandy’s college career was interrupted due to marriage and motherhood, she returned to college and earned an Associate Degree in journalism from Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Kings College in the 1980s. She also taught travel and tourism at LCCC. She leveraged her skills into a business of her own, Around the World Travel and Tours in Kingston, with her daughter Tracey.
Sandy was also an inventor who received a patent for an emergency staircase design that she believed would have saved lives in the 2001 New York World Trade Center terrorist attack. She also had a lifelong interest in astrology and amazed everyone with her uncanny ability to interpret charts. Always up for intellectual discussions on politics and religion, Sandy was always happy to dispense advice.
A Wilkes-Barre-area resident since her marriage to Arthur Hooper in 1970, she also lived briefly in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1996-2009) to be close to her mother Eileen during her last decade. In Minneapolis, Sandy was a travel agent for the Dayton’s Department Store and got to travel for her job. Morocco was her favorite country. In 2002, she thrilled her mother Eileen by taking her on trips to Hawaii and China.
A single mother most of her life, Sandy bravely endured many hardships while supporting her children. One of her hardest blows was the death of her son Tommy Doan after a heart transplant.
Sandy loved animals and was a strict vegetarian. She was also a progressive Democrat who championed the poor and disadvantaged, public education, and universal healthcare as a right.
Sandy donated her body to science through the Science Care service. No public memorial service is planned at this time. The family requests in-memoriam donations to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Sandy will be sorely missed by her loved ones.
Published by Legacy Remembers on Jul. 31, 2022.