LELAND — Sandra Lynn “Sandy” Harrison Bredimus, 68, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017.
She was born in Woodbury, N.J., the daughter of Lydia Thrush of Leland, N.C., and the late George Henry Harrison of Wilmington, N.C.
In addition to her mother, Lydia, she is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Lynn Rozga; son, Don Charles “Chuck” Driver Jr.; two brothers, George Henry Harrison Jr. (Stephanie) and Glenn Douglas Harrison (Teresa); granddaughter, Shelby Lynn Rozga (Cody Blanton); nephew, Glenn Douglas Harrison II; honorary family member (and Autumn Care roommate), Roberta Massey; as well as many other much-loved nieces, nephews, cousins and cherished friends.
Sandy was very involved in activities as a child. In addition to her lifelong love of church, she was a Brownie, Girl Scout, member of her school chorus, and hospital candy striper before graduating in 1967 from Deptford Township High School in New Jersey.
As an adult, she worked various jobs as she raised her two children. She received her certification as a nurses’ assistant from Cape Fear Technical Institute in 1976. She was employed at nursing homes in both New Jersey and North Carolina, briefly worked in a courthouse office in New Jersey and was also a teacher at a day care center in North Carolina. She was adept at any job but found that waitressing worked best to accommodate her children’s school schedules, and she worked most of her adult years at the Kettle Pancake House and Ryan’s Steakhouse, both on Market Street in Wilmington, N.C.
The last few years of her life were spent at Autumn Care on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington, N.C. Sandy made so many friends there, and they became her second family. Not just the residents, but the wonderful staff, from the medical staff to the recreational team to the kitchen and maintenance crews, administrators, the beloved pastor and piano player, along with the volunteers and musicians and family members of the residents. The family would like to thank everyone at Autumn Care for their loving care of Sandy as well as for their friendship.
Sandy was a loving daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She will be remembered for the love and caring devotion she showed to everyone (especially her family) and most of all, for her beautiful smile. We will miss her silliness, her fist pumps, her love of BonJovi and dolphins and angels … but most of all, we will miss her warm hugs and her continuous smile that made you happy no matter what your mood was before you saw her. She was full of love and kindness and forgiveness and happiness. We were all blessed to have her in our lives and are still blessed to know she is now an angel watching over us all.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 7, at Devon Park United Methodist Church, 3403 Winston Blvd., Wilmington.
In lieu of flowers, please provide a card or note sharing a happy memory you have of Sandy. These may be mailed to the family or placed in the “Forever Box” at the service. Should you wish to donate to a charity in Sandy’s honor, please donate to one of the hunger and housing related projects of the JBJ Soul Foundation.
Share online condolences with the family at wilmingtoncares.com.
