Sandra Lee Lynch

Sandra Lee Lynch passed away in Prescott, Arizona on the sixth of July, 2023.

Sandy's life began in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on the twenty-third of May, 1948 with Ojibwa (Anishnaabe) ancestry. When her grandparents sold their wheat farm, parents Reginald and Irene White and little Sandy relocated to Calgary, Alberta where she attended elementary school. For several years Sandy and her mother lived on High River Ranch south of Calgary where they tended to the farm's many horses. It may have been sometime after this period, for reasons unclear, that Sandy was informally "adopted" by Navajo families and sent alone to live on the Navajo reservation. She remembered tending sheep, periods of draught, mutton stew, and long bus rides to school. These were rather lonely but happy times, she recalled - a cherished part of her childhood that helped establish a life-long passion for Native American peoples and their cultures.

In 1962 Sandy's mother and stepfather, Robert Massey, moved to Durango, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1970 with degrees in both agriculture and economics. However, because of her pride and devotion to her Native American-Canadian heritage, and of a deep interest in all the world's cultures, she decided to pursue a career in anthropology. After obtaining a master's degree during the 1980s she finally returned to the University of California Riverside in 2002 to defend her dissertation "Chasing Midas's Moccasins: the Business of American Indian Art", and earned her doctorate degree.

Sandy joined Prescott's Sharlot Hall Museum in 1997 as curator of anthropology, and during the next 20 years managed native collections, produced many lectures on a variety of subjects, and wrote and curated at least 15 major exhibits and exhibitions. "The Baskets Keep Talking", a permanent exhibit concerning the history of the Yavapai People, and the large "Prehistory of Arizona", are legacies to her detailed research and creativity. In 1998 Sandy initiated the museum's Indian art market, and continued to oversee the Prescott Indian Art Market until her retirement in 2017. PIAM, Sandy believed, was her most satisfying achievement during her tenure at the museum. It continues as one of the premier art shows in the Southwest.

Those who were fortunate to know Sandy will remember this gifted lady, not only for her academic achievements, but for her great kindness and generosity, for her love of rain, Agave plants, country music, soft toy animals, and cats. One lucky pilot- partner will fondly recall her joy of flying in his Cessna over scenic landscapes and archeological sites. But all friends and families will remember her most for just being a remarkable Sandy.

Brothers Jim Busch and James Massey both reside in Colorado. Sandy's partner of 25 years and her beloved cat Mino live in Prescott, Arizona. Her large family of friends range from Flagstaff to Prescott, to the reservations, and beyond.