Obituary of Sandra Faiola

Sandra “Sandy” Faiola passed away quietly at home on January 22, 2022, at the age of 64. Sandy was born and raised in Lawrenceville, NJ. She graduated from Monmouth University with a BA in Theater and Art, and resided in Asbury Park, NJ for most of her life. She was self employed as a handy person for over 15 years. Sandy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1988, complicated by Sarcoidosis. In years subsequent, she learned that cannabis worked, where no prescription medicines did, to help her sleep, to quell her nausea and help relieve neuralgia. Sandy joined the Coalition for Medical Marijuana NJ about 2010 and enthusiastically offered her voice and experience to the cause. She testified in favor of legalization in Trenton and was a guest on the Dr. Oz show, along with Montel Williams, after NJ legalized medicinal cannabis. Sandy was also an invited speaker at the US Capitol in Washington DC in 2015 at the press conference introducing the CARERS Act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts3qQVaPWec Sandy is predeceased by her father, Michael (1980) and brother Gino (2003). She is survived by her mother Mirella, her sister Anna, two sisters-in-law, Patty and Maureen. She was a devoted aunt to her nephew, Michael and niece Katherine whom she adored. Sandy is also survived by her very special friend Dee Dee Williams, and her close cousins the Bonafilgias from Seneca Falls, NY. Sandy was fortunate enough to have a very good group of friends whom supported her throughout her life. Family meant everything to Sandy, and she loved our frequent trips to Seneca Falls where she enjoyed talking with aunts, uncles and cousins. She will be greatly missed and remembered always for her sense of fun, humor, her joy in life, her smile in the face of pain, her absolute love of children, her fascination with Disney World, her loyalty, her kindness, and her selflessness. She hurt every day, but her focus was always on you despite that. A memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, February 1 at 11 AM at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 3816 East State St. Ext. Hamilton, NJ 08619. Burial will be private. We kindly ask that you refrain from sending flowers. If you would like to honor Sandy’s life with a donation in her memory, we suggest donating to either CMMNJ https://www.cmmnj.org / or to Three Little Kittens, the Asbury Park non-profit kitten rescue, https://threelittlekittens.org foster care and adoption service for which Sandy was a Board Member and long-time volunteer.