Sandy Diepenbrock Grady

February 18, 1933 - June 18, 2025

Alexandra, known as Sandy, was the second daughter of Alexander and Kathryn Diepenbrock. She was born in Bakersfield and raised in South Pasadena. She graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1950. The mid-century date always remained special, and she always returned to school reunions to see her friends. Special memories from those days were beach parties, Rose Bowl events, and her interest in football due to the state championships by her high school team. On January 1, 1950, Sandy rode on the South Pasadena Rose Parade float on New Year's Day which was designed to honor this special championship.

Sandy graduated from the University of California in 1954 with a BA and a teaching certificate. The Kappa Kappa Gamma house was her home for those happy years, and she kept many of those college friends all her life. Her interests were expanded by the interesting classes, and the knowledge they provided.

She met her husband John (Jack) Grady in the spring of 1956 in San Francisco and they were married in December of the same year. They were both 3rd generation Californians and graduates of Berkeley. It was a fast and lasting love affair through all their 30 years of marriage. Jack passed away in May 1987 from pancreatic cancer.

They had moved east in 1960 as Jack was transferred from Sacramento to White Plains, New York. The family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut where they raised four children and lived an interesting life there for 40 years, as well as spending vacations and holidays at a ski house in Ludlow, Vermont. They started their family travels early. A month long stay in Switzerland in the summer of 1970, followed in a few years by a July stay in a house in Highgate England, with daily trips to London and more. Another adventure was a house exchange in 1975 when the family traveled  to Lake Tahoe for a stay in a great house in Dollar Pointe. 

Jack retired from IBM as Vice President and Secretary of the company. His job allowed them to travel the world as he planned the company's overseas board meetings and more. Sandy's travels continued for another 30 years afterwards with trips involving cruises, river trips and Elderhostel trips which consisted of walking miles in Britain, Italy, and France on multiple occasions.

Also over the years her volunteer wowrk included several years as a Girl Scout leader, a school volunteer, and PTA work which was followed by president of the Greenwich PTA council. Sandy was a member of the Junior League in both Greenwich and Naples when she retired. Before retirement, Sandy worked as a second-grade teacher in California and at Greenwich High School as a teacher's aide in the late 70s. In the early 1980s she started up an antique business working in Darien, Connecticut for 15 years with newfound friends. This hobby, now business, came from the many years she spent shopping resale and antique shops, decorating the family's 28-room Victorian mansion. The shop years were all fun, filled with travel looking for treasures to sell. In 2002 she moved to Naples, Florida. Sandy's final home, since 2013, has been the Arbor Trace community with views of the Gulf, good food, and friendly residents. She kept many friends from her life of 26 years in California, 43 in Connecticut, and 26 in Florida.

Her many dogs and cats were also a special part of her life, even in Naples with Rusty and Danny who came back and forth from Connecticut to Florida by car. Sandy leaves behind her four children:  Kathleen Skelly (Tom), John Grady (Athena), Carolyn Grady (Mary), Jim Grady (Ilana), and 12 grandchildren. Sandy was preceded in death by her parents, beloved husband Jack, and sister Carolyn Diepenbrock Lowman '47.