Elodie Sandford
Adventurer, photographer, early IT web developer. Born on June 4, 1941, in Oakville, Ont.; died on Dec. 18, 2015, in Collingwood, Ont., of cancer, aged 74.
Elodie (who used to laugh as she explained her unusual name, which her father told her meant "flower of the swamp"), lived a life of adventure, curiosity and determination. Much of what she did, she did after age 50. She had tremendous energy, a love of laughter and a love of people, but could also be content in her own space.
She trained as a nurse and, after her marriage failed, lived a simple life on a farm outside Toronto, struggling to make sense of her life as a single parent of three children. She became a farmer and a breeder of Newfoundland dogs. Seeking a more stable income, she applied for a job with a large Toronto insurance company, in information technology, a new field in the 1980s. They were looking for people who had no IT training but had an aptitude for math and logic.
The interviewing manager was a left-wing Scot who took one look at her résumé, which included her private school education, and asked if she were a member of the "horsey set." Without missing a beat, Elodie replied, "Yes, I shovel manure!" (though she used a more descriptive word). The manager cracked up, hired her and they became fast friends.
Because she was quick to understand early computer systems, she was headhunted in 1985 for IT work in New York for Prodigy, the first consumer dial-up online service (which gave subscribers access to things such as news and stock information).
In 1993, her father died, leaving a family investment company in the Bahamas without a leader; he had named Elodie as the logical person to take over the company. She immediately moved to Nassau and lived there until 2011, when she grew tired of the impact of local crime on her everyday life.
Although her sons Paul and Scott were living in England, and daughter Sue was in Dallas, Elodie decided to settle close to friends in the countryside near Creemore, Ont. Once again she was living on a farm, this time in a century-old home surrounded by beautiful gardens. The Creemore community accepted her instantly, as did the chipmunks.
Elodie was always tuned into news of great adventures. In 1999, intrigued by a television show about giant elephants in Nepal, she joined an expedition with the U.K.-based Scientific Exploration Society to track and learn about the animals. A superb photographer, she became the official shutterbug on travels with the society to places such as Guyana, Mongolia, New Guinea and the Galapagos. She was made an honorary vice-president of the society, and was also a member of the Explorers Club of America.
Although she suffered a series of reverses – from diabetes to a severe broken leg, to the loss of her beloved dog, to flooding in her newly renovated home – she always said she was never happier. She was supportive of her nine grandchildren, attending their school events in Port Hope, Ont., and travelling to New York, even when it was difficult physically, to see a talented granddaughter dance with a top ballet company.
Elodie touched many lives. Metaphorically, her life was a grand expedition. She was loving and loyal, smart and funny. She was larger than life.
Paul and Sue Sandford are Elodie's children; Susan Reed and Joan VanDuzer are her friends.