SANDRA MASON "SANDY" THEORET

THEORET
SANDRA "SANDY" MASON
Passed away on April 1, 2015, in Ormond Beach, FL. She recently moved there from Nashville, wanting to be closer to the ocean and her family after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She was born December 18, 1939, in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three children. Sandy began her professional career at the tender age of 11 as a Vaudeville style ventriloquist. Bringing comedy, music and charm to her routine, she and her dummy, "Tommy" were greeted to standing ovations in top venues regionally. By the age of 12, she was performing with stars such as The Four Freshmen and Connie Francis and by her 18th birthday, she had performed at the prestigious Boulevard Room in Chicago and The Palace Theatre on Broadway. After returning to Pittsburgh, Sandy attended The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Western Pennsylvania's top venue for training stage performers. In 1965, she obtained the co-host position on WTAE Channel 4's, "Popeye and Friends", a daily after-school children's show alongside Joe Negri for three years. She soon moved back to New York City, landing a daily position with Sunbury Dunbar as a staff writer. At night, she transformed her act from ventriloquist to singer, and performed in clubs and restaurants. During this time, she wrote over 30 radio and television commercials for Coca-Cola, with two of her jingles winning CLIO Awards. After moving to Nashville, she quickly became most recognized as a gifted songwriter, creating a number of hit songs. Her song, "When I Dream" has been recorded over 80 times worldwide by artists including Willie Nelson and Jack "Cowboy" Clement. In 1979, Crystal Gayle's version reached Number 3 on The Country Chart and Number 20 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. Her song, "Only Love" was popularized by Don Williams, Roger Cook and John Prine, the latter two of whom were her co-writers on the song. "All I Wanna Do in Life", co-written with her most frequent collaborator and longtime dear friend, Allen Reynolds, was recorded by George Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Crystal Gayle amongst others. She hit Number 1 on the Country Chart in 1998 with Garth Brooks' "Two Pina Coladas", a song she co-wrote with Benita Hill and Shawn Camp. Over the years, she recorded for numerous record labels, including MGM, Hickory, Epic and Mercury. She went on to record four more albums. More recently, her effervescent personality and musical talent frequently charmed audiences at The Bluebird Café and Douglas Corners. At the time of her death, she was working on her latest project, "Magic in the Stars", a heartwarming musical theatre production. Sandy enjoyed traveling, spending time with her family and friends, watching football, and was always accompanied by her dogs. A uniquely creative character, avid astrologist, animal lover and environmentalist, she loved to make people smile, mostly with a song. She would talk to just about anyone, charming them with her contagious youthful personality. In true Sandy style, it is not surprising to anyone fortunate enough to have known her that she chose to fly to the stars on April Fool's Day. She will be forever missed by all of her nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members and countless friends. Sandy was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Mary "Mi Mi" Theoret (Mason); her sister, Marilyn Gleinn; and her brother, Ronald Theoret. A private memorial will be held. Per Sandy's request, donations in her memory may be sent to Defenders of Wildlife: www.defenders.org.
Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb