Sandra Lee Rumery of Gardener, Massachusetts, Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and most recently, Austin, Texas, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the age of 87. She was born on July 17, 1938, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where she grew up with her mother, Iva, father, Alex, and grandparents, “Big Joe” and “Babba” who immigrated from Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution, arriving at Ellis Island.

Sandra attended Coleman Street Elementary School and graduated from Gardner High School in 1956. She got a scholarship to attend nursing school through Henri Heywood Memorial Hospital and graduated in 1958.

Sandra worked as a nurse for 55 years, as an ER Nurse, and later as an administrator.

She was actively involved in the Democratic party volunteering to help with voter registration and community outreach.

Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Sherrie, her brother David, her first husband, Edward Karpowicz, her second husband, James Stephen Rumery, and her daughter Tracy Rumery.

She is survived by her three children Lisa Karpowicz of Austin, Texas; Stephan Karpowicz of Washington D.C.; and Karla Karpowicz of Milo, Maine. In addition, she is survived by her only grandson, Asa Lucier of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and five stepchildren: Shelby A. Rich of Gardner, Danielle L. Simpson of Indiana, Lori Szoc and Meryl Vaillancourt of Templeton, Melanie Cutting of Phillipston, predeceased by Russel S. Rumery, Joline M. Rumery and Robert E. Rumery.

Sandra was born in Fitchburg but moved shortly afterwards to a modest home on “A” Street in Gardner, MA., where she spent her childhood. She attended the Coleman Street Elementary School where she gained some notoriety after climbing the school’s steep exterior wall with her bare hands. These were happy times and as a young girl, Sandra had an adventurous side. While attending Gardner High School, she held a part-time job behind the soda fountain counter dishing up ice cream, milk shakes, and root beer floats at Eino's Pharmacy, located at Graham & Parker St. Eino’s was known as a nostalgic neighborhood spot for residents, and noted for, among other things, its well-stocked record rack. Imagine the old-fashioned soda fountain in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

After high school, Sandra attended nursing school, despite limited means, on a scholarship at the Henri Heywood Memorial Hospital. Upon graduation from nursing school, she married Edward “Ed” Karpowicz and the couple moved to the pink house on Shady Avenue in Gardner where Lisa, Stephan and Karla were born at Henri Heywood Memorial Hospital. Sandra’s mother had a house on Partridge Pond in Templeton, MA where the family would spend weekends and summers swimming, canoeing, fishing, and ice skating in the winter where their Husky named “Smokey” would pull the kids on sleds. During her nearly 55-year career in nursing, Sandra worked as an ER nurse, a psychiatric nurse, and a nursing administrator for the State of Massachusetts where she was a fierce advocate for improved compensation and retirement benefits for nurses.

Sandra was a prolific volunteer for many causes including the American Legion, the Democratic Party, Cub Scouts of America, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Sandra was a notary in Maine, and was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of the ambulance vehicle shelter for the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service.

She met her second husband, James “Steve” Rumery, at the legendary “Can-Can Room” located in the basement of the Colonial Hotel in Gardner, where he played trombone with The Stardusters, a 17-piece band founded in the 1970s by Melvin George Ostroff, that was active in the Gardner area, playing big band, swing, and ballroom music. They played all the classic big band era songs that Sandra loved so much. In the mid-70s, Sandra, Steve and the kids moved to a big house at 55 Blanchard Street with a big swimming pool where the family held many pool parties and barbeques. During those years, Sandra fell in love with an injured doberman, Max, they rescued from the side of the road. In 1999 or 2000, she and Steve moved up to Boothbay Harbor where they built their dream house in the Back River Landing neighborhood. After Steve’s passing in 2011, Sandra remained at the home they shared in Boothbay until joining her daughter, Lisa Karpowicz and son-in-law Montgomery Miller, in 2018 at their home in the Goodnight Ranch in Austin, Texas.

During her final years in Austin, Sandra enjoyed riding her red scooter around the neighborhood at the Goodnight Ranch. She enjoyed the peace and serenity of sitting quietly by the neighborhood pond and feeding the ducks that waited for her daily. Sandra loved the graceful white cranes that nested in amongst the tall reeds. She was dedicated to reading the Austin American Statesman daily, cover to cover, and enjoyed working the crossword puzzles while watching her soap operas, "The Young and the Restless" and "General Hospital." Sandra kept her mind sharp watching "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune." She and her son-in-law, Montgomery “Monty” Miller would watch Antiques Roadshow together, trying to guess the value of all the items featured. Tuesday was FBI night; Wednesday was "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire," and "Chicago PD;" Thursday was "Law and Order" night followed on Friday with "Blue Bloods," starring her longtime secret crush Tom Selleck. Friday nights featured KFC with mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits and a coke or a bacon cheeseburger from Whataburger. She loved lobster, crab, clam chowder (anything from Maine), barbecued brisket, Chinese food, only Wright’s bacon with a fried egg for breakfast and a Bay’s English Muffin. She thoroughly enjoyed any form of chocolate available.

From her big leather armchair, she could enjoy watching the children walking home from school, or the birds darting in and out of the bushes. Lisa and Monty have two very sweet black cats, Pele and Coral, that were constantly taking turns snuggling in Sandra’s lap getting belly rubs and head scratches. Every other Saturday Sandra would put on her favorite rings and have her hair done at the Salon in Walmart. Afterwards, she would ride her scooter around Walmart watching all the people, especially the kids ogling the toys. On special occasions, Lisa and Monty would take her to one of several favorite restaurants for a fine steak dinner and a glass of bourbon with a fancy ice cube.

The family would like to thank her hair stylist, Natalie, who came to the house every couple of weeks after she could no longer get out to Walmart, her primary care physician, Dr. Dobberfuhl and the staff at Adult Care of Austin, the many nurses and physical therapists that came to the house, her part-time caretaker, Kristina Roberson, the EMT’s and emergency room doctors and nurses at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, and all those who showed Sandra so much compassion in the months preceding her passing.

A graveside service will be planned in the spring or summer at the Wildwood Cemetery where friends and family will have on an opportunity to join in honoring Sandra’s wonderful life! Details for the graveside service will be posted on the Wildwood Cemetery website.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Sandra’s honor to Democratic National, the Maine Democratic Party, or the American Legion Charles E Sherman Post 36 in Boothbay, Maine.