1948 ~ 2024

Sandra "Sandy" Welling Clark arrived June15,1948 in Salt Lake City's Holy Cross Hospital; across the street was the adobe home where she and her younger twin sisters, Norene and Nadene, would grow up. Kathryn "Kay" Harper Welling (Pleasant Grove, UT) raised her daughters after the indelible passing of their "Dad", Ward Holmes Welling (Fielding, UT) in 1960. Sandy had Leopard Pride in her education and the 1966 Class of East High School all her lifetime. Her BYU, Provo dorm mates were beloved household names for more than five decades. She married Richard Scott Clark in 1971 and later divorced. In 1972 Sandy contracted to teach English at Hillcrest High School (Midvale,UT), walked for her BA, and gave birth to Margaret "Maggie" Elizabeth Clark. Quickly a single mother she set about creating a home with customs and traditions that would last them a lifetime. She finished a Masters in Education from University of Utah in 1976 and purchased her bungalow, hanging her Campsite Occupied sign, in 1977. These were not easy feats for a woman in the 1970s. Her passion for language and, gifted talent for teaching teenagers made her a beloved teacher. She was well awarded, classes gave her "Best Ever" plaques and student Christmas cards continued arriving till her passing. Sandy co-created a program for at-risk-kids, Impact; for which KUED and Utah PTA honored her with The Golden Apple Award in 1998. Sandy and Maggie would share campfires, 24th of July BBQs, family milestones, hiking trails, high water river runs, miles of "dotty" dirt roads, and holiday feasts with Hillcrest's Boiler Room Gang, and their families, for decades. Christmas began pre-dawn unwrapping gifts with Maggie, resumed with her sisters at Norene's, reviewing the year with extended family, and ended with her hosting an intimate dinner in her home. It was her favorite day, every year. Sandy's lifestyle of outdoor enthusiasm modified with the capacity of her body and she reveled in nature in her veggie garden and watering her flower pots in later years. She supported SLC performing arts throughout her adult life, because, "It filled her cup!" Sandy voted every time for duty and privilege. She traveled to Paris with Mag and their chaperone Philippe, fluent in French, for two weeks in 2007, her "favorite trip". She toured the Carolinas and stayed on Hilton Head Island. Sandy quit cigarettes in 2020.She ordered mobile oxygen and requested a return to Zion; on her 70th, she soaked her feet in the Virgin River! Sandy's severe scoliosis had disfigured her and the pain was unbearable for over a decade, but her eyes twinkled to schedule a knee replacement. "Use it up. Wear it out." The family acknowledges Sam Dunn, Sandy's confidant, friend and caretaker in the last year of her life, he is a consummate gentleman. Sandy died December 23, 2024 of scoliosis complications. She had said goodbyes and was surrounded by her sisters, daughter and honorary son, John when she floated from line of sight, downstream around the bend, so peacefully. Please, join us Sunday May 3. 2026 in a Celebration of Sandy's Life at The Orangerie, located in the visitor's center of Red Butte Garden and Arboretum: 300 S Wakara Way: alt Lake City, Utah, 84108. Attendees will have free access to the garden's trails, come as you like! We are gathering from 10AM to 1PM, speakers will begin at 11AM, a light luncheon and toast will be served. The family asks in lieu of flowers donations be made in her name to Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance https://suwa.org/ or; KUED at https://www.pbsutah.org/ Utah's public broadcasting system.