Ailsa Sandford

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Ailsa Thomas Sanford
07 Apr 1923 - 23 Apr 2009

Clubs & Associations

Puddletown Squares

Obituary

Ailsa was born on April 7, 1923, to Alice Rosina and Victor Thomas in Brisbane, Australia. She met her future husband while he was stationed in Australia during World War Two. She later flew to California to marry him and became Mrs. Jim Sanford on December 7, 1947. Jim made the Army his profession and was assigned to Fort Lawton in the Magnolia district of Seattle. They lived in the north Seattle area until his death in 1984. Ailsa died on April 23, 2009. Ailsa was an executive secretary and offered her talents to every organization in which she participated, whether is was square dancing or the many tennis and social groups she was affiliated with. She was an active participant in the Shoreline Senior Tennis League for more than fifteen years, playing regularly three times a week. She had been a meticulous bookkeeper and treasurer for the largest square dance club in the northwest. She maintained her relationships with her Australian background by being an active member of the Australian Club and a member of the Gibraltar Chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire. In each of these organizations the participants have stressed that she will be missed and remembered fondly. Ailsa was active in the square dancing community and acted often as secretary or treasurer of various clubs. She was for a number of years the local treasurer of the B-Sharps, the largest club in the northwest. In addition, Ailsa was active in introducing the area to the Challenge Level of square dancing. She worked with the Tapeworms, a group of avid dancers that worked to tapes of national professional callers that used advanced material to challenge the dancers. They will miss her dedication and special skills that enriched all the groups in which she was active. She had many good friends and neighbors in the absence of any local relatives, her friends Lillie and Dan Gilbraith, Shar and Bill Stream and Dorothy Abbott should be given special thanks for the time and work they are giving to help take care of her final affairs. Surviving relatives are all Australian residents. Over the years she made several trips to Australia and maintained a good relationship with these family members: nephew and wife Walter and June Thomas; grandnephew Shane and Lorelei Thomas; grandniece Kathleen Prior.[1]

Memorial Panel

  • 3LL | Puddletown Squares



Sources

  1. The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA) Friday, 22 May 2009