Sandra Lay

Sandy was born in Austin on November 20, 1958 and died in a car accident near her home in Bastrop on June 3, 2013.

Sandy went to high school in San Antonio, but much of her childhood was spent in Afghanistan and Taiwan where she developed a strong interest in travel and meeting people from foreign lands. Some of her greatest memories were a trip she made with her grandmother to South Korea and several visits to orphanages in Russia. The last trip she made was a memorable cruise to Alaska with her mother Dorothy.

Sandy was a compassionate, caring person. She had an early interest in animals and first obtained an Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology, working at the San Antonio Zoo before deciding that her true calling was in Nursing. She returned to school and got an Associate Degree in Nursing from ACC. She became a Registered Nurse and was intensely satisfied by that profession. Some of her greatest experiences and friendships were from working as a floor Nurse at Brackenridge Hospital, in Endoscopy at Seton, helping HIV/AIDS patients at Christopher House, and easing the passing of so many while at Hospice Austin (where she became a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse). She grew close to so many of her coworkers, patients and their families.

Sandy was a "friend of Bill W." and received a lot of support over the years from friends at Alcoholics Anonymous.

Sandy is survived and mourned by her "Beloved Husband and Best Friend" Rodney Heathcott, her mother Dorothy Lay and friend Vick Hines, her Dad Homer Lay, brother Ralph Lay and his wife Suzette, brother-in-law Llano Heathcott and his wife Deborah, brother-in-law Bill Heathcott and his wife Linda, brother-in-law Doug Heathcott and his wife Mitzi, nieces and nephews Shiloh, Zachary, Josiah, Jerusha, Nathanael, Amanda, Emily, Dana, Chance, Adam, Elizabeth, and Trish, aunts Annabeth Box and Marilyn Miller.

She is also survived by her beloved puppies "Mama's Angel Sophia Maloney Balony Pepperoni Weenie doggy O' Miney" and "Mama's Angel Abigail Ann", Kit Kat the cat, Gary the Goat, tortoises Scooter and Honeybee, and Snowflake the finch.

She was preceded in death by Grandmother Ida Rebecca Lovelace, Grandmother Alice Cornelia Lay, Aunt Lynnell Lovelace, Grandfather Lynn Lovelace, Step-Grandfather James Justiss, Grandfather Homer Lay, Father-in-law Rass Heathcott, and Mother-in-law Novine Heathcott, and friend Mark Rawlins.

She was also preceded by numerous beloved pets, including many cats Alex, Oliver, Buster, Sweet Pea, Kristabel, Cheddar, Bodkin, Moses, and Squirt; ferrets Phoebe and Keasbey; Giselle the goat, Buckwheat the duck, Luba the hedge hog, guinea pigs Shazam, Checkerbelly, and Annie, hamsters Herman and others, mice Hope and Grace and others, rats, finches, cockatiels JoJo and LuLu, fish, crabs, and turtles Butterboy, Sundrop, Redbud and others. She always missed Oliver "The Little Boy in a Cat Suit".

The last year for Sandy had been one of pain and struggle with the debilitating disease Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, but she had been making an amazing recovery under the care of her nurse Brenda Masias. Sandy wanted to be cremated. A memorial service will be planned for the near future. More details will be posted here, but a permanent e-mail address for Sandy is hopeandgrace@heathcott.org.

Memorials can be made to the Austin Animal Center 512-978-0500 or Hospice Austin 512-342-4700.