Sandra "Sandy" Westfall

Sandra "Sandy" Westfall, a Toledo registered nurse turned civil litigation lawyer, died Tuesday at her Sylvania home. She was 67.

She died of pancreatic cancer, her niece Allison Roller said.

""She was funny, she was a strong leader, and she was very professional and ethical,"" said Pastor Nathan Elarton, the lead pastor at Compelled Church in Temperance, noting that Ms. Westfall counseled him and represented the church in mediation, always pro bono.

""She was a true servant to the community,"" Ms. Roller, a healthcare professional, said. ""She was known for strength and wisdom. [And] as a nurse, she was a person that everyone leaned on, for her guidance, for her support and comfort.""

Ms. Westfall retired as a lawyer around 2017 after about 20 years as an independent lawyer, whose office was across from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library's main branch in downtown Toledo.

Before that, she was a registered nurse and a psychiatric nursing supervisor at the former Toledo Mental Health Center, now known as Northwest Psychiatric Hospital, from 1987 to 1992, after about a 1½ years as a registered nurse and a house supervisor at the ProMedica Lake Park nursing care center, where she was previously a licensed practical nurse.

In her later years, Ms. Westfall became a caregiver to her parents, the late Ann and Bill Liggett.

Ms. Westfall died after a short illness, Ms. Roller, her aunt's caregiver, said, stressing that Ms. Westfall handled herself very well even when battling cancer though she knew from her vital signs that she was dying.

""It did not diminish her strength and her worth at all,"" Ms. Roller said. ""... In caring for the nurse, I have come to understand that vulnerability doesn't diminish a person's worth or strength. Rather, it serves as a reminder of our shared humanity and interconnectedness of our lives.

""This realization has deepened my appreciation for the complexities of caregiving and has inspired me to approach it with a greater sense of empathy, respect, and understanding.""

Born June 3, 1956, in Toledo, Ms. Westfall graduated from what then was Sylvania High School in 1974 and later continued her education.

She got an LPN certificate from Northwest Ohio Practical Nurse Training Center in Toledo in 1984, an RN certificate from University of Toledo in 1986, and a law degree from UT College of Law in 1998.

Ms. Westfall attended Compelled Church in Temperance.

She was preceded in death by her brothers Albert Liggett, Charles Yarnell, and David Schutt.

Surviving are her sisters, Barbara Farias and Jerilyn Colvin, and brother, Michael Yarnell.

There will be no services per her wishes.