Sandra ‘Sandy’ Cofer passed away on March 29, 2026, in Vancouver, Washington surrounded by her two daughters and one of her grandsons.

Sandy was one of four children born to Illa Deadrick and one of five children born to Rene Daignault on April 18, 1941, in Lily of the Valley Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho. The first few years of her life were spent with her mom, dad, and brother Pete. After her parents divorced, she stayed with her mom until the age of twelve at which point she took a train from Minnesota to Oregon to live with her dad and brother Pete. While in Oregon they spent some time living in North Bend where a love of nature was inspired by exploring the local coast. They also spent some time living in Eugene.

The three of them finally settled in Eureka. Sandy was very fond of a trampoline class that she took in high school and would often talk about how it taught her to fall correctly so as not to hurt herself. She graduated from Eureka High School in 1959. She started working at a local paint store and decided to pursue a nursing degree at Humboldt State University. She decided that nursing wasn’t her thing and ended up quitting college, but while there she met the love of her life, Larry Cofer. She saw him walking down a hill on campus. He was wearing some wing-tipped shoes, and she thought he was a pretty ‘snazzy’ dresser. She had the fortune of officially meeting him at a frat party that she was attending as the date of his best friend. They were married on November 9, 1962, at a Methodist Church in Eureka. Sandy and Larry were married until his passing in January 2014.

In the mid-1960s, Sandy started working as a phone operator for AT&T. While there she got to try her hand at acting in a couple of plays that the company produced for their employees. She loved dressing up. ‘Dressing to the nine’ she would call it. She loved fancy things, especially the little white convertible MG that her and Larry took on an unforgettable road trip to stay at Timberline Lodge by Mt. Hood in Oregon.

She and Larry started out their married life living in a triplex where they met lifelong friends that she also attended Scared Heart church in Eureka with. There were a lot of dinner and house parties. As children started getting added to the mix the social circle just got bigger. The families spent lots of time at Sequoia Park. Later in life her and Larry belonged to a dance club. They would get all dressed up, leave their daughters with a babysitter, and go out dancing.

Sandy become a mom for the first time on June 13, 1966, to her daughter Cindy. Three and a half years later she became a mom to daughter Pamela. After having Cindy, she quit the phone company and decided to try her hand at in-home childcare. She also started teaching CCD for the church and helped with the children’s programs.

In 1976 Sandy and her family moved to the Grace Park area of McKinleyville. She became actively involved with Christ the King Catholic Church in McKinleyville where she continued to teach religious education as well has becoming a Lector and catechist for different children and adults. She also started working as a teacher’s aid at Morris School and as a playground monitor at McKinleyville Jr. High. The job Sandy ended up working at until her retirement in 2014 and the one she will be most remembered for was as a salesclerk for what was Ron & Betty’s Drug Store. The drug store eventually became Rite Aid. She was well known in the community for her friendliness, kindness, and generosity. She was full of compassion and had a gentle soul.

Sandy was actively involved in looking in on and helping with her extended family. She loved all the holidays and decorating the house. She hosted the family holiday dinners. She loved taking things she collected from nature and making ‘educational’ nature displays. In her early adult years, she dappled in charcoal drawing and described herself as an artist and writer. She also enjoyed painting ceramics. She loved crazy socks and had a very colorful coordinated closet full of clothes. She loved jewelry and shopping.

In 2016 Sandy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and relocated to Vancouver, WA to be closer to her youngest daughter’s family. She was always in good spirits and was always willing to try something new even as her illness progressed. She was very fond of eating out.

She is survived by her daughter’s Cindy and Pamela; grandchildren Zac, Josh, and Brielle; great-grandchildren Nick, Emma, Waylen, Clint, Luke, and Charlie; her brother Joe and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Larrry; her parents Rene and Illa; and her siblings Michael, Peter, Andy, Evelyn, and Linda.

The service will be held on April 17, 2026, at 9 a.m. at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Eureka. A graveside service will be immediately following with a gathering back at St. Bernard parish hall.

Arrangements under the direction of Sanders Funeral Home, Eureka.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Sandy Cofer’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.