Connie Lolene Sanford

Connie Lolene Sanford (Anderson) June 12, 1927-April 16, 2016 Connie was born on June 12, 1927 in Temple, Texas to Willie and Mae Anderson. She was the first of four children. She was later joined by Billie, Robert and Frances. The Andersons moved to Norco, California in 1928, when Connie was an infant. Growing up, the Anderson Family enjoyed many camping trips to Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake and Salton Sea, that involved fishing, swimming and hiking. She continued to enjoy camping with her children, grandchildren and friends into her 80's, with a fondness for the beach. Connie graduated from Corona High School in 1945. While attending Corona High School, Connie played violin in the high school orchestra. Connie married Robert White in 1946. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce and Connie was remarried in 1963 to Robert Sanford. This marriage also ended in divorce and it was then that Connie realized she was meant to be a single Mom and she excelled at it. Her four children, Robert, Larry, Tracy and Jim, as well as her stepchildren, Lev, Robert and Barbara, were the light of her life. Connie was always a hard worker, starting with her first job at the Mava Ice Cream Shop on 6th Street in Corona, CA. When Robert and Larry were young, she worked for the Telephone Company, as an operator. She later went on to work for McMahon's Furniture. When Tracy and Jim were young, Connie began to work for the State of California in their accounting department. She thrived and moved through the ranks to working as a Rental Agent for Cal Trans, until her retirement in 1989. In 1971, Connie became a proud homeowner in Rialto, CA. There she became involved in the Rialto River Rats Swim team, as a Team Mom and Treasurer. This involvement led to her commitment to the construction of an indoor community pool, later called the Tom Sawyer Pool. She was a parishioner, member of the Altar Guild and Treasurer at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Rialto, up until her move to Utah. In 2002, Connie realized a long time dream come true. She built her dream home, with a wraparound porch, on 3 acres of land in beautiful Kanab, Utah. She was able to live next door to her son Jim and his family. She built a beautiful life in Kanab, where she remained until shortly before her death. Connie is survived by her sister, Frances McCloskey in La Jolla, CA, children Robert (Hilary) White in Corvallis, OR, Larry (Monica) White in Huntington Beach, CA, Tracy (Scott) Nesheim in Chino Hills, CA and Jim (Tracy) Sanford in Kanab, UT, her stepsons Lev (Diana) Sanford in Moreno Valley, CA and Robert (Laraine) Sanford in Carmel, CA, her grandchildren Nathan (Stacey) White in San Luis Obispo, CA, Gretchen (Duane) Landon in Snoqualmie, WA, Matthew (Alyssa) White in Corvallis, OR, Aaron Sanford in Las Vegas, NV, Britney (Dylan) Adamson in Kanab, UT, Shelby Nesheim in Newport Beach, CA, Cortney (Steve) Wheeler in Kanab, UT, Emily Sanford in Kanab, UT and Avery Nesheim in Chino Hills, CA. In addition, she is survived by her great grandchildren, Mariah, Connor, Porter, Quinn, Eva, Brielle, Liv, Austin, Ezra and Hazel, her nieces Debbie Hodkin, Kathy Hendrix and Karen Morse and nephew Richard Autry. Connie leaves behind her constant friend and companion, her dog Theo. Connie was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Mae Anderson, her sister Billie Autry, brother Robert Anderson and husbands Robert White and Robert Sanford and stepdaughter Barbara Moore. A memorial service for Connie will be held in Kanab, Utah in June. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 84741 ATTN: Jonna W. or by phone at (435) 644-2001 ext. 4873 or https://secure.bestfriends.org/page/contribute/memory (online donations require notification email as InMemoryOfConnieLolene@gmail.com)