Sandy was born on April 21, 1949, in Norfolk, Nebraska. She attended schools in Columbus, Aurora, and Kearney, and graduated from Oxford High School. She attended the University of Nebraska on a Regents Scholarship and graduated with Distinction with a double major in chemistry and math in 1971. Later, she received an M.S. in counseling from the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
A talented, intelligent, and dedicated worker, Sandy held a variety of interesting positions. She managed a fabric store, sold real estate, worked as counselor at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, and was a laboratory chemist. In 1995, she moved to North Carolina where she worked as a chemist for a research laboratory. She met William (Bill) Black there while doing trials for his company. They were married in 1996. She later accepted a position in quality control for clinical research and eventually moved into project management for pharmaceutical trials. In 2008, she moved back to Lincoln to be with her aging parents and continued home-based work in clinical project management. Upon retirement, she enjoyed life with Bill and her cat and dogs on an acreage near Hickman, Nebraska.
Sandy was always an active advocate for social justice and political accountability, and active in her church and many mission projects helping others. In 2005, as chairperson of the mission team at her church, she was instrumental in leading the church to participate in a newly formed mission project caring for the AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. She co-led the first trip there in 2006 and went two more times. She always thought of that work as life changing.
Sandy is survived by her husband, William Black, her son, Geoffery Balliet and wife Karin, her daughter, Jehan Balliet, her brothers, Douglas Wegener and David Wegener, his wife Valerie and son Grayson.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 7130 Kentwell Lane, Lincoln, NE 68516 at 11:00 am June 19, 2025 or online at www.trinitylincoln.org/funeral For further information call the church office at 402-435-2946.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to either of these organizations:
The ConnectionPoint
1333 N. 33rd St.
Lincoln, NE 68503-1914
Connectionpointlincoln@gmail.com 402-417-0771
or
Zoe Empowers
P.O. Box 28839
Raleigh, NC 27611
Zoeempowers.org