Sandra "Sandy" Joan ( Roland) LaForge

December 27, 1946  --  March 25, 2019

Sandra "Sandy" Joan (Roland) LaForge passed away on March 25, 2019, at the age of 72.  Sandy was born in Harriman, Tennessee, on December 27, 1946 and was the first of two children, both girls, of Rachael Eva (Freeman) Roland and James Tidal Roland.  She graduated from Harriman High School in June of 1964, and went on to Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN, completing her BS in Biology in three years, graduating in May 1967.

Sandy LaForge earned a Masters of Science in Biology from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and then worked in biological and cancer research at the University of Colorado in Boulder, as well as at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver. After furthering her education and earning a Master's Degree in Psychology from Antioch University, Sandy worked as a psychotherapist for 18 years in Boulder, Colorado, which included being the counselor for an Alzheimer's Support Group for 10 years.

While in Boulder, Sandy met Harry G. LaForge, Jr. in December 1969, when, having just returned from Viet Nam, he was visiting an old friend in Boulder, from his cancer research days in Buffalo, NY.  That friend arranged a blind date between Harry and Sandy, and the two couples went to a theater re-release of the film, "2001: A Space Odyssey." Happily, the blind date went well, because Harry and Sandy were married on July 22, 1972.  They were a happy, loving couple for forty-nine years.

Over many decades Sandy had many, many groups of women friends.  In the late 1970's she formed a tongue–in-cheek "Women's (only) motorcycle gang  - The MrsFits."  Their mission was to "Ride Around and Look Tough." They had t-shirts with their name and logo, and even made President Jimmy Carter's sister, Gloria Carter Spann, an honorary member.  Gloria had been named the 1978 Most Outstanding Female Motorcyclist and worked as an activist for motorcycle rights.   In Boulder, Sandy volunteered at the battered women's safe house, which led her to earn her graduate degree in psychotherapy and counseling.

Once in Missoula, Sandy joined Sacred Journey, a women's reading and spirituality group that met before the United Church of Christ (UCC) services on Sundays.  She was a founding member of the UkuLadies, a ukulele music and singing group that played concerts at assisted living facilities and elsewhere.  Sandy met frequently with several artists and became proficient with oils, pastels, chiaroscuro, pencils, water colors and several other mediums.  She had several showings of her work and has another scheduled, posthumously, this coming October at St Patrick Hospital's Oncology Department.  Sandy was in a few women's movie and book discussion groups.  For several years she co-led a Buddhist meditation group that met Thursday mornings at the UCC.

Sandy became actively involved in the emergent field of music-thanatology since first learning about it in 1989. Sandy worked as both research and personal assistant to Therese Schroeder-Sheker, the founder of music-thanatology, while attending The School of Music-Thanatology in Denver, Colorado. Sandy's music-thanatology training resulted in working with the Chalice of Repose Project, a service which provides comforting music for the dying, by singing and by playing the harp. The Chalice of the Repose first formed in Denver, and then moved to Missoula in 1992.  Sandy and her husband, Harry, commuted between Boulder and Missoula for six years, while Sandy worked at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, and also at the Hospice of Metro-Denver in Aurora, Colorado, as well as continuing to work for Therese.

In 1998 the LaForge's decided to move permanently to Missoula. While they were accomplishing the move to Missoula, Sandy discovered she had Stage 3 breast cancer and had treatment including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

After recovering from her illness, Sandy became a filmmaker, creating documentaries and humor videos for a company she operated with Harry called "Legacy Productions."  She also developed her artistic skills, by producing paintings, sketches, drawings, photographs and sculptures for both sale and display.

Motivated by her lifelong interest in how people changed, she sought training in Neurofeedback, Energy Tapping, and Heart Rate Variability.

Following the close of The Chalice of the Repose Project in 2002, the new graduates' and music-thanatologists formed a new professional organization called The Music-Thanatology Association International (MTAI).  Sandy served as Secretary and Member-at-Large for the MTAI, and also developed special projects for the organization.

Harry, along with Sandy, owned and operated Hoffman Pilot Center, Inc. from 1972 – 2018 which, among other things, conducted 158 weekend Flight Instructor Refresher Courses (FIRCs), re-certifying more than 5,300 airmen certificates in five states.  Sandy was an indispensible part of the operation and facilitated all of the mailings and paperwork and computer and video support. The mobility for the courses allowed Harry and Sandy in their RV to travel extensively, ancillary to the FIRCs to spend time with family and friends in Tennessee, Arizona and the Oregon and Washington coasts that Sandy loved.

In 2015 Sandy and Jane Franz co-authored a book, "From Behind the Harp – Music in The End of Life Care" published through Harp Spring Press and is available at www.Amazon.com .

Sandy's cancer returned in May 2017 and she finally lost the battle after three temporarily helpful chemotherapy regimens, and additional first and last chemotherapy that did not work.  She died peacefully and without pain, at home, under hospice care, with Harry by her side. Sandy is survived by her beloved husband Harry and her sister Phyllis Pennington, sister-in-law Gayle LaForge Radnich (Spencer), and a nephew, niece, 1 great-nephew and 2 great-nieces.

Donations in Sandy's memory may be made to:

Hospice of Missoula

(Sandy's Hospice)

1900 S Reserve

Missoula,  MT 59801

and / or

MTAI (Music-Thanatology Assoc. Int'l)

PO Box 6691,

Portland, OR 97228

(gifts to MTAI are not tax deductible)