Nancy Sands Chandler

One of Mill Valley's best kept secrets, Nancy Sands Chandler passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on June 22, 2015. An active member of the community, Nancy was a contagiously enthusiastic and optimistic creative contributor to several groups including the Mill Valley Library, the Youth in Arts Special Arts Program, local film and arts festivals, and more. What few in Marin knew however was the great respect her name inspires in parts of Asia, where the artist and mapmaker had a profound impact on many she never met, leaving a lasting legacy. As a young expatriate mother in Thailand in the early 1970s, Nancy created her first iconic hand drawn and hand lettered, colorful, and highly detailed map of Bangkok. Now in its 27th edition (with sister maps of Chiang Mai and Hanoi available), Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok remains an invaluable resource (thank you notes from readers still received regularly). Nancy also created witty, fun greeting cards and gifts celebrating Thailand and things Thai, her small business marking its 41st anniversary in May. Born in San Francisco to whimsical interior decorators Maurice and Winona Sands, Nancy attended the Hamlin School and joined Alpha Phi at UC Berkeley (where she studied art history only to realize no so-called 'masters' had a sense of humor). She moved east after marrying Albert T Chandler, then a Harvard Law School student. After his graduation, the young couple signed up for a year abroad with a volunteer program in Kathmandu, Nepal, where Nancy discovered her signature inspiration in the bright hues of the puja powders and where their first daughter was born. They subsequently travelled Africa and Asia, baby in a basket, before settling in Virginia and finding life in the US not quite as fulfilling. When a job offer to move to Thailand landed in their laps, they jumped at the opportunity. The initially two to three year job posting turned into 18 years for Nancy, who moved back to the Bay Area in the late 1980s, settling in Mill Valley, to be near her parents after a friendly divorce. Nancy's greatest joys were her daughters, including Nima who runs Nancy's business in Bangkok; Siri, a mindfulness teacher in Thailand; and Kim, a highly accomplished Special Olympics athlete and artist who volunteers at several centers in Marin County but will be moving to Thailand in late August. Words Nancy lived by (as quoted from the clippings on her cluttered refrigerator door): 'Colour outside the lines'; 'A clean house is a sign of a misspent life'; and 'Children have a much better chance of growing up if their parents have done so first. (You ain't got a chance, kids. Love, Mom)'. In the same spirit, her daughters would like to welcome those whose lives Nancy touched to don their brightest colors for Nancy's life celebration to be held at the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley on Wednesday, August 19, 2015, from 4:00-7:00pm. Dress code is colorful casual (jeans and sneakers allowed). Please RSVP by email to kim@nancychandler.net.