Sandra Kay Beaning

Sandra K. Beaning, 85, Indianapolis, passed away June 25, 2020. Sandy was born on December 21, 1934 to Benjamin and Helen Jordan, living in Indianapolis all her life, being survived by her sister Patricia Miller, Dunedin, Florida; niece Annette Lawrence, Dunedin, Florida; Amy Craft and family, Wesley Chapel Florida; plus nephew David Miller and his family in Dayton, Ohio.

She attended Shortridge High School, achieving and AB Degree from Hanover College, Madison, Indiana, with a Masters Degree from Butler University, Indianapolis. For her entire career, Sandy taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools, Grade Six, on East Washington Street for 37 years until retirement.

Sandy fell in love with Robert “Bob” Beaning and married him in June 1959. They took summer vacations to Grand Teton Mountains and some Western States.

Narrative continues below by long-time friend, Joseph V. Goeller:

I met Sandy as her husband, Bob, and I both worked for Allstate Insurance and were 10-Speed bike enthusiasts. After we would ride over rural roads and elsewhere in Central Indiana, Sandy would cook delicious breakfasts for the three of us Sunday mornings, eating on the Chateau de Ville patio. On one year, he and I even rode a 100-mile roundtrip along Interstate 70 to Knightstown and back.

Bob became ill with multiple sclerosis in 1980 and was soon paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair. We would join about fifteen friends for lunch at Knobby’s Restaurant every Saturday, with my putting his wheelchair in the trunk of their car before lunch and taking it out afterwards, They entertained a large group of friends and neighbors at their enormously popular “Bastille Day Party” every July 14 for many years. He even treated her to a number of solo vacations in Paris.

When I began my 15 three-week vacations in Hawaii, visiting all seven islands over a period of years, they took care of my house. NOTE: I was fortunate in having a flexible career at Allstate which allowed me to be absent for three weeks, plus I accumulated frequent flier miles by doing Security Analyst surveys in 15 southern offices, having 4 locations in New Orleans! But I digress. . .

Bob died in his sleep on August 29, 1998, with Sandy relocating from Chateau de Ville Apartments to a Condo in Windridge Estates in about 2000. Being close friends, we continued going out for breakfasts at Lincoln Square on some Saturdays, other Saturday lunches at Aristocrats, and dinners at various restaurants.

Both Sandy and I were hospitalized on a number of occasions as we grew older, with my bouts starting with a radical prostatectomy in May 1998; prostate cancer radiation treatments in 2008; left hip socket replacement in 2013; and benign meningioma tumor surgery on my skull in May 2018.

Sandy smoked cigarette for a lot of years as an adult, but switched to vaping about 10 years ago. At various times, her sister Pat in Tampa and I would attempt to convince her to quit smoking. She would just “freeze up” in our relationships, so we both stopped trying in order to remain as her friends. Sandy was increasingly hospitalized in recent years and for longer periods of time.

She had been in Assisted Living for several years, and just moved back to her Windridge condo about seven months ago, continuing to vape e-cigarettes, Within the last month, Sandy developed severe stomach pains. Returning to Community North Hospital, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer, being untreatable. Arrangements were made to have hospice care at her condo, but Sandy passed away one day before she was scheduled to return to her home.

“So think about this long and hard;

are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

that still can be rearranged.”

 By Linda Ellis, Copyright © 2020 Inspire Kindness, thedashpoem.com