Sandra Kay Conklin Bishop

September 22, 1944  –  November 21, 2020

Sandra Kay Conklin Bishop departed this world on November 21, 2020 at 11:06 PST after a brief illness following a long battle with ovarian cancer.    Born in Elwood, Indiana on September 22, 1944 to Imojene Mae Ross Conklin and Harold David Conklin, she lived with her family in the country until they moved to Frankton, IN.  She attended the Frankton School from grades 1- 12, and graduated Valedictorian, Class of 1962. Sandra earned the Bachelor of _Arts in Inter-departmental Studies of Marriage and the Family from Earlham College in 1966.

On March 19, 1965, she married her childhood sweetheart, John A. Bishop of Frankton.  Following graduation, they moved to Cincinnati, OH, where she worked as a Hamilton County Welfare Department caseworker until the January 1, 1968 arrival of her first child, Jennifer Ellen.  She transitioned to her primary occupation of mother and homemaker, and January 1, 1970 saw the arrival of her second child, John David.  In 1971, John A. was drafted into the United States Air Force, where they quickly found that they liked the Air Force and its community, and decided to stay in the service. On March 15, 1979 their third child, Angela Kathryn, was born in Bellevue, Nebraska, but within months they were stationed in Germany, which proved to be a great adventure.

After 27 1/2+ years of Air Force life, with assignments in GA, CA, TX, NE, Rhein Main Germany, AZ, TX again, and OH, they retired to civilian life. They settled in Fort Myers, FL for 12 years until John’s final retirement when, in late 2013, they moved to Portland, OR to be nearer to their children and grandchildren.

Sandra’s greatest joys in life were family, homemaking, and sharing their military life.  She especially loved cooking for family and friends. When living in San Antonio, TX she entered cooking contests, and her recipe won the Parade Magazine, “My Favorite Recipe” contest and a trip to Hawaii. She also won the Texas Beef Cook-Off and a chance to show her culinary skills at the national level. She continued as an avid culinary enthusiast, active in the Air Force Gourmet Club, and cooking for her grandkids.

In 2017, Sandra was diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer.  She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy but when the cancer reached a point where there were no further treatment options, she chose to enter hospice.  Home hospice allowed her to spend her final weeks cared for by John A., her three children and four of the grandkids. She slipped away peacefully and quietly content in her Lord and Savior. She is preceded in death by her parents and brother David Wayne Conklin, and is survived by her husband, her children and their spouses, (Jennifer Bishop, John D. and Veera Bishop, Angela and Casey Baker), sisters Betty Memmer and Rebecca  Brashear, and 6 grandchildren (Ruth Merrill Baker, Beatrix Ellen Baker, Aasha Annika Bishop, Harold Thomas Audubon Baker, John Bomi Bishop, and George Peregrine Baker).  At Sandra’s request, no memorial service is planned at this time.  In lieu of flowers, she requested donations be given in her name to:

Providence Hospice

Attn: Marites Magee

6410 NE Halsey St., Suite 300

Portland, OR 97213

Or

Providence Portland Medical Foundation — Cancer Support Services Fund

4805 NE Glisan Street

Portland, OR 97213