[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 117 (Monday, July 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E641-E642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF SANDRA BLAUVELT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 10, 2023

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Sandra Blauvelt, 
who passed away at the age of 81 on April 18, 2023. Sandra was a 
beloved member of the community and devoted public servant.
  Born in 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio, Sandra, fondly known as Sandy, grew 
up the youngest of 7 children. An ambitious and intelligent young 
woman, she attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, where she 
served as the president of her high school class, won junior skating 
championships, and was admitted to Wellesley College. Sandy married her 
high school sweetheart, Gerrit Blauvelt, and they traveled across the 
country with their growing family while he finished medical school. 
After 2 years in the Navy, the family moved from Virginia to Larkspur, 
California where Sandy quickly began her decades of service to the 
Larkspur community.
  At the old Larkspur-Corte Madera school, Sandy organized parents and 
community members to volunteer at a new after-school enrichment 
program, sharing their personal passions and skills with students. Her 
community organizing skills assisted Joan Lundstrom in becoming the 
first woman elected to the Larkspur City Council in 1971. She also 
helps to raise funds for the acquisition of a section of Northridge as 
open space in 1977 and ran the successful campaign of Hal Brown for 
Marin County Supervisor in 1984. After his election, Sandy served as 
his aide for many years.
  Sandy dedicated decades of service to Marin County, including as the 
founding President of the Larkspur Community Foundation, 42 years on 
the Larkspur Park and Recreation Commission, and as a longtime member 
of the Marin Conservation League. Her contributions earned recognitions 
and she was deservedly awarded Citizen of the Year in 2005 by the City 
of Larkspur.
  Along with her political savvy, Sandy was known for her dedication to 
friends, family, and neighbors and for her active role as a 
grandmother. While she will be greatly missed, her legacy will live on 
through the positive impact she had on her community.
  Sandy was predeceased by her husband Gerrit and is survived by her 
daughter Molly Blauvelt, son Andy Blauvelt, grandsons Jonny and Sam 
Rank, granddaughters Sophie and Alice Blauvelt, and dozens of nieces, 
nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you join me in extending 
condolences to Sandy's family and friends and in expressing deep 
appreciation for her decades of public service in her community.

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