Sandra Lee Potthoff, 73, of Springfield, passed away the afternoon of June 29, 2022 at her son Tim's house in Clever, MO.  Sandy was born April 13, 1949 in Bloomington, IL and was the daughter of Paul and Nola Plaugher of Lima, OH.

She graduated from Richwoods High School in Peoria, IL, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and winner of the Betty Crocker Jr. Homemaker Award.  She attended Illinois State University and graduated in 1971 with a teaching degree in Home Economics.  She had completed twelve hours of study in Consumer Education at Northern Illinois University.  This included having two published consumer economic workbooks.

Sandy married Mark Potthoff of Peru, IL in 1977.  They divorced in 2000.

Sandy loved to dance and toured Europe in 1971 with ISU's exhibition dance team.  She loved to square dance and went on to teach ballroom dance for eleven years at the YMCA in both Peru and Springfield.  She taught Home Economics for seven years in Wisconsin and Illinois and gave up teaching to marry and raise her family.

Sandy worked in the school cafeterias of Springfield District 186.  She worked for Jo-Ann Fabrics, starting as a clerk and working her way to store manager.  She then worked as an annuity processor for Horace Mann for ten years, from which she retired to baby-sit her grandchildren.

Sandy's pride and joy were her five children: Melinda (Ken) Downs of Sherman, Michael (Bethany) of Rochester, Brian (Amber) of Chatham, Timothy (Lisa) of Clever, MO, and Jeffrey (Katie) of Oswego.  She also adored her eleven grandchildren: Megan, Kurtis, Graham, Griffin, Alex, Chase, Jenson, Jacob, Alice, Allison, and Mason.

She was active in both Girl and Boy Scouts with all five children for many years.  She attended church at St. Aloysius and later St. John Vianney in Sherman, as well as being active with the ladies auxillary group with the KC 4175, holding several officer positions throughout the years.  Sandy worked at the Illinois State Fair for over 30 years, including being Superintendent of Textiles and Culinary.  She really loved competing and had hundreds of ribbons and trophies for her baking, sewing, and needlework since she began competing in high school.  She won the Senior Grand Champion in Culinary at the Sangamon County Fair fourteen times in the thirty-seven years she entered.  Sandy was overjoyed in 2014 when she won the championship in the senior division and her granddaughter, Megan, won it in the junior division.  This happened again in 2016, along with grandson, Kurtis taking a junior up and coming award as well.

Sandy was preceded in death by both her parents, Paul and Nola, of Lima, OH, and her younger brother, Terry (wife Hannah) of New York.  Her sister, Hope, of Springfield, MO still survives.  Cremation was handled by Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield, MO.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 1-3 at the KC 4175 Hall in Devereux Heights, 2801 West St. Springfield, IL.  Desserts and soda will be provided