West, Sandy
Sandy West, the heiress-turned-conservationist who sold the 26,000-acre Ossabaw Island to the state of Georgia so it could be preserved, died last month on her 108th birthday.
Born Eleanor Ford Torrey but known to her friends as Sandy, West was Ossabaw's longest modern resident, living there for three decades until 2016, when declining health and funds forced her into a nursing home near Savannah.
West plowed nearly all of her once-considerable fortune into conserving the largely untouched Ossabaw, located about 20 miles south of Savannah. Accessible only by boat and for decades only to invited guests, the island is known for its golden saltwater marsh, grand oak trees, wild boar population and slave cabins made with an oyster shell concrete called tabby.
West is survived by three children and eight grandchildren.
The family is postponing a memorial due to the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, they are asking for well-wishers to donate to the Humane Society for Greater Savannah.
Read more about Sandi West and Ossabaw Island on ajc.com
