Obituary of Leslie Long Sandefur

Leslie Long Sandefur went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 17th, 2016. She died at Pruitt Health of Ridgeway, SC where she had lived for the past 5 years . Mrs. Sandefur was born in Brookings, South Dakota on August 28, 1937 to Dr. Norman O. Long and Arlene Poole Long. As a child and young adult she lived in Superior, WI Niagara Falls, NY, Alton, IL, Lexington, KY and Evansville, IN. In 1957 she moved with her family to Bogor, Indonesia where her father taught chemistry at the University of Indonesia. Returning to Indiana, Leslie completed her BS Degree in art education. Graduating CUM LAUDE in March 1960 from the University of Evansville. In the same month she married Benjamin Sandefur also from Evansville, a cherished union which lasted 53 years until Mr.Sandefur died in 2013. In college, Mrs. Sandefur was a member of Kappa Pi national art fraternity. As an academic honor ,she was inducted into Phi Kappa Pi, a national BS honorary. She was active in her collegiate national sorority, Phi Mu an association she continued until her later years. She was Chapter Adviser to the Phi Mu chapter at USC-Aiken, SC for many years. Mrs. Sandefur continued her education and received her MS in Secondary Education from Indiana University in 1976.She has had several careers, both in art education and in social work, before retirement Mrs. Sandefur was employed by the Aiken County Board of Disabilities as Intake Coordinator and as Director of Service Coordinator. Leslie has been active in her church, Aiken First Christian (DOC) for many years, serving as a choir member and Secretary to the Board. Mrs. Sandefur also served as Deacon, Elder and President of the Disciple Women. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her son Timothy Alan Sandefur (Sept 6, 2001) and her husband Ben Sandefur, of 53 years on May 10, 2013. Those left to cherish her memory are daughter Stefanie Hay,(Alan) , grandchildren Forest and Alaina of Blythewood, SC, granddaughter Amy of Warrenville, SC. Mrs. Sandefur is also survived by her brother Norman (Joan) of Naples, FL and sister Bonnie (Greg) of Newbury Park, CA. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Leslie loved this poem " Death Is Nothing At All" by Henry Scott-Holland. Death is nothing at all, It does not count. I have only slipped into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way you always used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forces air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word it always was. Let it be spoken without the effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same that it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!