Sandy von Tagen

Flahiff Funeral Chapels & Crematory-Homedale

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Sandra “Sandy” (Smith) Von Tagen, 67, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 23, 2020.

Born in Livingston, Montana in 1953, Sandy filled her life with music from the start. She begged her mother for piano lessons and loved the instrument so much, she never had to be prompted to practice. Sandy’s musical gifts were put to use early on. In sixth grade, she got her first job playing the organ and singing for daily masses at the Catholic church for blocks from her home. She earned a dollar a day. In high school, Sandy added the clarinet and French horn to her repertoire. She also participated in high school musicals, frequently providing piano accompaniment for the productions. When not in school, she worked as an operator at the local phone company.

After high school, Sandy attended the University of Montana, majoring in music. There she met Kurt Von Tagen, a handsome varsity swimmer she spotted while he was working as a fry cook in the school cafeteria. Later, Sandy admitted she gained weight after going through the cafeteria line each day trying to catch his eye. She would request fresh fries so Kurt would have to stop and make them for her. She did this every day until he asked her out. On their first date they went to the movie theater to see Lady and the Tramp. Sandy always said she was impressed that was the movie Kurt chose to take her to see. In the end, Kurt says it was Sandy’s piano playing that made him fall in love with her.

The couple married in Livingston in 1973, then moved to Paradise, California to start their family. Sandy joyfully filled those early years with homemaking. She sewed clothes for herself and her daughters, learned to crochet from a neighbor, and led Pixie and Brownie troops. She filled her homes with beautiful, handmade things and made holidays even more special with her cooking and crafting. Sandy gardened and hunted through area greenhouses, looking for plants to add to her growing collection of African violets. Music continued to be a large part of her life as she taught piano lessons, played the organ at church, and sang in church musicals groups.

In 1982, the family moved to Boise, Idaho, a place Sandy loved for its four distinct seasons. With her children in school, Sandy joined the workforce, taking a secretarial position at the church she attended. On Sundays, she played the piano or sang for the church’s services. In 1995, she earned a standing ovation at the Morrison Center after singing, “Apple Blossom Time” as part of a WWII anniversary USO show. She learned to tole paint and frequently sold items she made or gave them to friends and family as gifts. Later, Sandy worked as office manager for an accounting firm and founded Lifespan Tea, selling blends of herbal teas online at the local craft fairs and farmers markets.

Sand and Kurt eventually moved to Homedale, Idaho, where they built their dream home, lovingly landscaping it with gardens and fruit trees. When Sandy wasn’t tending her many plants and flowers, she crocheted, sewed, painted, led Bible studies, canned fruit, and worked part-time at the Homedale Public library where she also hosted a book club. She loved to cook and hold social gatherings in her new home – everything from Bible study breakfasts to afternoon teas. Pies were her specialty, and she had a real knack for making a flaky pie crust. Her musical talents found voice at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church where she played and sang for services, weddings and funerals. In Sandy’s later years, her grandchildren became her special joy. She had enough pictures of them to wallpaper the house.

To the very end, Sandy remained bursting with creative ideas and energy. She was never with out a list of projects to tackle, whether it was experimenting with homemade soaps and lotions, raining butterflies, or reupholstering antique chairs. She was everybody’s cheerleader, always ready with words of encouragement. She loved to travel and especially treasured memories from her trips to Europe. Once she moved into her dram home, though she couldn’t be budged. There was nowhere she would rather be than in her home, surrounded by her family, her pets, and her plants. For her, it was heaven on earth.

Sandy leaves behind her cherished husband, Kurt; her dear sister, Marsha; her loving daughters, Rachel, Lacey, and Katherine; and her seven living grandchildren, Piper, Abby, Gabriella, Kylie, Alison, Isabelle and Evander.  She is now reunited with her eighth grandchild, Liliana Grace in heaven.

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Sandy von Tagen Obituary | Altogether