Temple woman remembered for community focus, work

TEMPLE — Sandy Gregor was remembered Tuesday as a multi-talented woman who touched the lives of many in Franklin County.

Gregor, 57, of Temple died early Thursday at a Lewiston hospital after a battle with cancer, friend and longtime neighbor Bob Kimber of Temple said Tuesday.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Farmington.

Gregor worked as a reporter at the Sun Journal's Farmington Bureau from April 1996 to May 1998. During that time she covered people's stories, the highs and lows of communities, and town governments among other topics.

She also wrote an occasional column for the Sun Journal, Licensed Curiosity, for a couple of years beginning in 2007. She wrote about life in a small town, her experiences and her hobbies, the issues facing communities and even a mouse in her house. It was there, she revealed that her cancer had returned after years of remission.

In between, Gregor worked with senior citizens at SeniorsPlus in Wilton until she was laid off due to reorganization. She organized trips and activities and helped them make their way through the new Medicare system when it was established.

"Sandy was multi-talented. She wrote well, painted well, she got into woodworking and blacksmithing," Kimber, Gregor's neighbor of just over 30 years, said. "She did an amazing amount of stuff and it turned out incredibly good, all of it. She was an incredibly loyal friend and in a sense part of our family for many, many years. We kind of did a lot of neighborly stuff to help each other out. Our kids grew up together."

She knew practically everybody in the county, he said. She was very gregarious and open to people, he said.

She enjoyed the outdoors. She used to go hiking with her son, Matty Goodman.

"This summer, she and Matty and I went up to Flagstaff Lake and paddled around for a while," Kimber said. "She had a very good day."

Gregor also had a social and political conscience, he said.

"She was involved in a lot of causes," he said.

She was people-oriented and had a real sense of social justice and believed in taking care of each other, he said.

Gregor also worked at W.A. Mitchell Fine Furniture in Farmington during her later years.

"She was certainly very dedicated to her work," company Business Manager Doug Ibarguen said. "She was certainly very dedicated to her work. She was a classic woodworker. She did some classic wood turnings."

On her own, she made bowls, salt and pepper grinders and other items.

"At our place, she was a craftsman who assembled our chairs," he said.