Sandra Kay Scharf

Sandra Kay Scharf, 83, of Arvada Colorado, died peacefully at Intermountain Health Hospice in Wheat Ridge on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

Born on June 28, 1941 and raised in Cherokee, Iowa, Sandra was always a woman ahead of her time. She was very proudly kicked out of Catholic school for routinely challenging the nuns and went on to pursue her interest in science, engineering, and mathematics, eventually studying engineering at Iowa State University, as one of very few women to do so in the late 1950s. After meeting and marrying her devoted husband, Allan, she moved to the Denver, Colorado metro area in the late 1960s to raise her family, drawn by economic opportunity and the beauty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She worked as an X-ray technician and eventually completed her career working as a chemical engineer. 

Sandra was a lifelong learner who loved history, astronomy, paleoanthropology, nature, music, gardening, reading and animals of all kinds, including her many rescue dogs, cats, and other assorted pets over the decades. She was a kind, compassionate, and generous person who loved to take care of those around her, giving to non-profits, and looked forward to Colorado Gives Day every year. She could be regularly found at Colorado Symphony Orchestra performances, Arvada Center Outdoor Amphitheater concerts, Colorado Rockies games, exhibits at Denver museums, shopping the Boulder farmer’s market, and enjoying Colorado’s many state and national parks. She was beloved and admired by all who met her and will be remembered for her exceptional intelligence, humor, empathy, and easy smile.

Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Doris (McDeid) Berry; sister, Jeanne Glienke; along with many deeply cherished animal companions who were undoubtedly waiting together for her across the rainbow bridge. She is survived and celebrated by her husband, Allan Scharf; son, Paul Scharf; and daughters Pamela Scharf and Mona Lundy; along with a large extended family in Colorado, Iowa, and beyond. She will be greatly missed every day by those who knew and loved her immensely.

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