Sandy Koffman, a woman of numerous accomplishments and former co-founder of the Whispers clothing store in Pacific Palisades, died of pancreatic cancer on August 3 in Camano Island, Washington. She was 60 years old. From Chicago to Malibu to Pacific Palisades to Pacific Grove to Camano Island, Sandy was a sparkling inspiration to all she met and to everything she touched. Born on July 10, 1952, and raised in Chicago, Sandy studied drama at Loyola University but became sick and had to leave school, at which time she decided to go to work and get on with life. She became an accomplished businesswoman and administrator in her late teens and was running a Chicago bar and supper club before she was old enough to drink. ’We met in Chicago in 1975,’ said her husband, Danny, ‘and she moved out to be with me in Malibu in 1976. We married in 1978, purchased a home in the Palisades Highlands in 1984 and established our advertising and marketing agency, Bottomline Communications, in 1985.’ Before that, in 1983, Sandy joined with Judy Ball and Roswitha Newman to start their women’s clothing store, Whispers, on Swarthmore Avenue. (The store closed early this year). In 1990, the Koffmans relocated to Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Peninsula, where they both became active in the community, starting an environmental preservation group called Eco-Corps in 1991. Sandy was elected mayor of ‘America’s Last Hometown’ in 1994 and served four terms (eight years), during which time she dramatically improved the relationship between the business community, the public, the environmentalists and other groups that are traditionally at odds within a community, her friends said. '[She] was revered for her ability to build bridges between competing interesting,’ wrote Monterey Herald Staff Writer Dennis Taylor. Among Sandy’s most significant accomplishments were a low-income senior housing project she championed near Lovers Point, the restoration of city hall and a new youth center. In 2006, Sandy and Danny moved further north to Camano Island for more life adventures. She was the picture of health and vitality until late February this year when she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Skilled physicians at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle created a nearly six-month opportunity for Sandy to celebrate life with dear friends and family.’ Sandy was a skilled gardener and avid hiker who dearly loved the natural wonders of the world’just being outside taking in the magic, day or night. She loved her ‘furry children’ (chow-chow pups) and loved her friends. In addition to Danny, her husband of 34 years, Sandy is survived by her mother, Mary Lou, and ‘sisters and brothers’ too numerous to list. Friends are encouraged to set aside a few minutes on September 2 at 2 p.m. to think about Sandy.’ ’To honor Sandy, do something unexpectedly nice for someone who can really use a kindness,’ Danny said. ‘You may not need to look further than your own family, or assist a family member who has taken on the most sacred of tasks’that of being a caregiver for a loved one who is ill. Focus your love and attention on someone, for just a few moments, and you will make a huge difference.’
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