Sandi Burrows ‘60 DeTata passed away on August 1, 2021, in San Jose, CA. Oak Hill Funeral Home, also in San Jose, confirmed Sandi’s death with a recent photo of Sandi.

Thanks to Joy Parlett ’60 Furtado, who discovered the Oak Hill photo, and Jane Gonsalves ’60 DeCoite who provided background on her friend from school days. With Bishop O’Dowd’s help, Pamela Kershaw, Sandi’s daughter, and mother of two recent O’Dowd graduates, provided the following obituary:

Obituary

Sandra Jeanne DeTata (formerly Burrows) passed away peacefully at her home on August 1, 2021. Born on August 21, 1942, in Des Moines, Iowa, Sandi moved with her family as a young teenager to Oakland, California, where she attended Bishop O’Dowd High School. After high school Sandi attended San Francisco State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential and began a long career spanning over 35 years as an elementary school teacher for the Livermore Valley Unified School District. Sandi was very social and loved to travel, play bocce, sing in The Villages choir, spend time with friends, and walk her dogs. She was preceded in death by her son Daniel Hale Kershaw, her sister Karen Martin, and her brother Michael Burrows, and is survived by her son Christian DeTata, her daughter Pamela Kershaw, her son-in-law Andrew Thomas, her grandchildren Nathan Thomas and Erin Thomas, and several nephews and nieces. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a memorial service will be postponed until a future date.

Sandi actively participated in all ’60 reunion activities until her death.  She was a member of the current Committee since its inception prior to the reunion dinner at the Greek Orthodox Temple in 1985. In fact, Sandi was a member of the earlier committee that planned and arranged the first 5-year ‘60 reunion in 1980, which was held also at the 2021 site, Crow Canyon C.C.

Sandi joined ’60 Classmates on both of our cruises in the past decade, to Alaska (2012) and to the Panama Canal (2017).  Sandi was a bridesmaid in the 1965 marriage of dearly departed Steve DeCoite ’60 and Jane Gonsalves ’60.  Sandi was predeceased by her husband Joe DeTata.

Sandi will be missed.

Requiescat in pace

John ‘60