Sandra Lee Hilker
- On April 27, 2023
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Sandra Lee Hilker passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer.
Sandy was born on August 22, 1962 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She spent her early years side by side with her sister, and they were always referred to and known as a duo, “the Howell girls.” On July 31, 1993, she married Mark Hilker of Bridgeville, and in Cecil Township they built a home and a family with two children, for whom Sandy was (very happily) a stay-at-home mom.
She worked hard all her life at everything she put her mind to. No task was too small, no challenge too large, no friend too far. As a lover of creatures of all sizes, there was never a time without a dog or cat in the house, and not a moth or ladybug she didn’t “rescue” and release to the outdoors in a disproportionately-sized cup. Sandy was known for her warm, lively nature, her witty repartee, and thoughtful words of encouragement for all those she encountered. Her quirky “Sandy-isms” will be remembered fondly. She was perpetually chilly — you wouldn’t find her on vacation unless it involved a beach. Mama Sandy’s wonderful home cooking will be missed almost as much as her; everything was made from scratch and, of course, organic.
An avid note-taker and student of the Bible, she was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was a woman of immense faith. It carried her through her entire life, and her hope was to live on a paradise earth forever, as God originally purposed, where it is promised that God’s people will find “exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) She died as she lived — surrounded by family and the friends that she made her family.
Sandy is preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Mary Howell, her brother, John “Jack” Howell, brother-in-law Jerry Kaufman, and infant sister Patricia Howell.
She will be greatly missed by her husband, Mark, daughter, Marissa, son and daughter-in-law, Brendon and Haley, and siblings Jean, Dave (Dawna), and Debbie, as well as by a multitude of extended family and dear, dear friends.
A memorial service is set to take place at the Oakdale Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 6pm. 198 North Branch Road, Oakdale, PA 15071
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to www.donate.jw.org
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