Sandra "Sandy" Lynn Blinn

Sandy Blinn, 79, died at her home in Bothell, Washington, on December 6, 2022. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 3, 1943, and grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois, daughter of Mortimer and Hazel Haarvig. She graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where she was a beauty queen and met the love of her life, Dean, whom she married in 1965. After marriage, Sandy and Dean lived in Missoula, Montana, where Dean completed his master’s degree and later in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Dean earned a PhD degree and their twin sons, Christopher and Eric, were born. In 1971, after living two years in Grand Forks, North Dakota, they moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where they raised their family and lived for 35 years. Sandy was a devoted wife and mother and taught elementary school in Flagstaff for 21 years. During this time she earned a master’s degree, and Dean was a biology professor at Northern Arizona University. Sandy was artistic, generous, hard-working, social, and enjoyed sharing time with others. She was caring, thoughtful, and much beloved by family, friends, students, and others who interacted with her. In 2006, after she miraculously survived advanced cancer, Sandy and Dean moved to Bellingham, Washington, to be closer to their sons’ families, where she was an amazing grandmother! Although her cancer recurred, she really enjoyed family and friends while in Bellingham. In 2020, Sandy and Dean moved to Bothell, Washington, where she was a great example and a positive spirit, despite her and Dean’s health issues. She is survived by her husband Dean Blinn, and two sons and their wives: Christopher and Patricia Blinn; and Eric and Donna Blinn. Other survivors include two sisters, Christine Haarvig Taylor and Janet Haarvig, and their families, and five grandchildren: Carson Blinn, Lauren Blinn, Paul Blinn, Jason Blinn, and Isaac Blinn. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Karen.