Sandra (“Sande”) Lee Haas was born on July 10, 1954 in Lancaster, PA. Sande graduated from Penn Manor High School in her hometown of Millersville, PA. She was an accomplished artist, winning many awards, and played the clarinet. She spent summers at the pool as a lifeguard and danced at splash parties.
Sande made friends wherever she went and was most in her element working with people. She worked frequently in hospitality and food service, where she enjoyed meeting visitors from all over the world. She also worked in high-end retail, where her gift of gab came in handy.
She joked frequently and had a mischievous and irreverent sense of humor. She often said that her Native American name would be “Travels With Food,” a not-very-sensitive and accurate description of her propensity for feeding others. Wherever she traveled, she set up shop in the kitchen and prepared meals with the ingredients she carried in her suitcase. She never met anyone she didn’t try to feed.
A doting mother herself, Sande had a soft spot for women raising children on their own. She volunteered for organizations that helped single mothers, HIV/AIDS patients, and LGBTQ youth. She was also a foster parent.
Sande loved animals. Over the years she rescued and raised pit bulls in her longtime home of Boston. She also loved the beach and swimming, and spent many summers in Provincetown, MA with her son and friends.
Sande loved music, especially Motown, R&B, Jazz, and the Blues. She often shared stories about times spent with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic. Her favorite color was purple and she was not afraid to mix animal prints. Fashion was perhaps her primary mode of expression: she dressed boldly, wearing outfits and accessories that started many conversations.
Sande died in her sleep on October 28, 2017. She is preceded by her mother, Lois Betty McSurdy Haas, and father, Billie Lamar Haas. She is survived and will be missed greatly by her partner Tyrone Tuck, her son Jason Lloyd Haas, and her brother Scott Haas.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend visiting hours in the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, WEST ROXBURY on Saturday, November 4th, 2017 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Sande's name to Youth Harbors at jri.networkforgood.com. Thank- you. For directions and guestbook, please visit: www.gormleyfuneral.com