Sandy S. Gilson

Sandra Sue Gilson, 73, of Lebanon, passed away Friday night, April 1, 2016, at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. She was born on January 23, 1943, in Lebanon, Indiana, the only child of Doris Evelyn (Kissel) Smith and the late Cleo Smith. She was a 1961 graduate of Lebanon High School. During her senior year, her family had graciously hosted an exchange student from Germany by the name of Gila Kuhne, she and Sandy had always kept in touch. Following high school, Sandy attended Franklin College for a year and then went down to Florida State University where she received her Bachelors Degree in Art. Upon her return to Indiana, she earned a Masters Degree from Indiana University. In January 1971, she married Irving R. Gilson in Pensacola, Florida and they later divorced. Sandy loved art and enjoyed being an art teacher. She taught in Florida, California, and during the mid-1970s, she moved back to Indiana where she taught for over 20 years in the Indianapolis area including the schools of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Gabriel, and Christ the King. She had attended both Otterbein United Methodist Church and Centenary United Methodist Church for many years. Other memberships included Boone County 4-H, Pi Phi Sorority at Franklin College and Tri Kappa Sorority in Lebanon. In 1960, she had the honor of being crowned “Miss Boone County”. In addition, she enjoyed reading and gardening. Sandy was a breast cancer survivor and a heart transplant recipient in 1998. She always had her loving family by her side. Funeral Services are to be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at 3:00 p.m., at Myers Mortuary, 1502 North Lebanon Street, in Lebanon, Indiana, with Rev. Anthony Stone and Rev. Jim Ramsey, officiating. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday beginning at 1:00 p.m. until the time of the service. Entombment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon, Indiana. Survivors: Mother: Doris E. Smith – Lebanon, Indiana Two Daughters: Wendy N. Bean and husband, Scott – Lebanon, Indiana Kimberly A. Gilson – Las Vegas, Nevada Two Grandsons: Riley Bean – Lebanon, Indiana Reed Bean – Lebanon, Indiana Memorials may be made in Sandy’s memory to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 3500 DePauw Blvd., Suite 2070, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268-1182 or to the American Heart Association, 6100 West 96th Street, Suite 200, Indianapolis, Indiana 46278 – 6005.

Sandy S. Gilson

January 23, 1943 - April 1, 2016