Sandra L. Lautrup (77) of Effingham

Sandra L. Lautrup, 77, of Effingham passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, December 31, 2017 at her home.

A memorial gathering to celebrate Sandra's life will be held from 2 to 5pm on Friday, January 5 at the Lake Sara Community Building, 9282 Park Avenue, Effingham. Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham is assisting the family. Memorials may be made to the Effingham County Humane Society, Ballard Nature Center, EARS of Effingham, and The Illinois Audubon Society.

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Sandra was born on March 16, 1940, in Chicago, IL, the daughter of Herbert and Eva (Hedstrom) Glover. She was united in marriage to Kenwood W. Lautrup on November 16, 1957 and to this union were born two daughters, Tamara and Lorin. Kenwood preceded her in death on April 2, 2000. After Sandra and Kenwood raised their family, Sandy returned to school, achieving a degree in Microbiology. She worked at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago many years. Being interested in art, Sandra took art classes in college and studied under Nancy Fortunato. With her husband Ken, they retired to Effingham, where Ken designed and built their new home on Lake Sara, which they loved. Sandra, being an avid birder, displayed many feeders throughout their property, filling the air with color and song. After Ken’s passing, Sandra met Bob McBride and together they continued to create and embellish the lake house home. Bob added his creative touches, with many beautiful hosta gardens, and even a waterfall. Inspired by the beauty of nature surrounding her, Sandra focused her energy on her artwork, which she had always enjoyed, but now had time to devote to her passion. Favorite subject matter involved still lifes, landscapes and of course, birds. She created many lasting friendships through her membership with the Effingham Art Guild where she picked up her taste for oils and pastels; John Gabb, Becky Marcussen, and Jan VonBokel were influential to her style. Sandra won many 1st in show awards and other numerous accolades for her paintings; a tribute to her immense talent. Blue ribbons adorn her art studio! Paintings are on display at Bonutti Clinic and other locations near Effingham. Sandra loved nature travel, the muse that provided subjects she incorporated into her many beautiful paintings. You will see birds from Ecuador, Patagonia, Belize, Costa Rica, as well as New Mexico, Arizona and other states. She belonged to the Illinois Audubon Society, and enjoyed the Ballard Nature Center in Altamont, where Sandy would hike and birdwatch with her daughters Tamara and Lorin, growing her birding lifelist. Sandra was an animal lover ever since a little girl growing up in Chicago; she would befriend and bring home any stray kitty she could cajole into her arms. Sympathetic to animal rights, she supported EARS and the Effingham County Humane Society. Gardening was another enjoyment of Sandra’s. Each year Sandy, along with her friend Bonnie Rees, looked forward to entering the Effingham County Fair Flower Show with arrangements of flowers from Sandy’s garden. She was honored with many blue ribbons for her colorful and inventive arrangements.

Sandra is survived by her daughters, Tamara L. Lautrup of Island Lake, IL and Lorin L. Lautrup of Gurnee, IL; brothers, Bruce Glover and Brian Glover both of Los Angeles, CA; nephews, Crispin Glover of Los Angeles, CA and Reggie Robertson of Chicago, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Eva Glover; husband, Kenwood; and sister, Lois Robertson.