Sandra Carlsen

Sandy (Dalton) Carlsen
Sandra Ruth (Dalton) Carlsen, 77, passed away on Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Simi Valley, CA surrounded by her loving family.
Sandy was the first child born to Chester S. Dalton and Virginia E. Weart on November 1, 1945. Four years later, her beloved younger brother joined the family. As a child of a United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant, Sandy moved often. The family spent time at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, then returned to Maine, adding her baby sister, who would become her best friend for life, to the family in 1954. In 1956, while her father was stationed in Japan, the family moved to Simi Valley, CA, staying with her aunt, Velma Clinton, and cousin, Bob. When Sandy’s father returned to the States, they moved to Twenty-nine Palms, followed by Seattle, WA, prior to returning to Simi Valley for her senior year. Sandy graduated Simi Valley High School, Class of 1964.
Following graduation, Sandy moved back to Seattle, where she met and married Douglas Carlsen. Together they returned to Simi Valley and had three children, Donna, Dani and Lori. Divorced in the mid ‘70s, Sandy raised her daughters to be strong, independent women.
In the late ‘70s, Sandy began her long career with the County of Ventura. She worked at the Environmental Resource Agency and in Purchasing. In 1978, Sandy joined Animal Regulation. Over the years, while working alongside Director Kathy Jenks, Sandy made an impression with her loyalty and her resourcefulness. Together, they designed every inch of the Camarillo Animal Shelter that stands today. She often shared her memories of animal rescue during disasters, with the call sign, “Bird Two.” During the flood of 1995, Kathy set her sights on sheltering the displaced, transient persons, and their pets, which were evacuated from the Ventura River bottom. Together, in 1997, they began the Riverdweller Aid Intercity Network, affectionately known as The Rain Project. There, they transitioned many families in dire need, keeping them safe and assisting them to be successful within society. Sandy continued her commitment to The Rain Project throughout the rest of her life, as the treasurer and board member of the non-profit Rain Communities Incorporated (RCI). After her retirement in 2007, Sandy was on board of the Ventura County Credit Union and became a docent, for many years, at the Simi (pronounced suh-me) Valley Historical Society.
Sandy’s life was filled with the lively escapades of her three daughters, close family and friends; Many trips to Vegas, class reunions and her high school best friends, the infamous Saint Patrick Day parties, family “charades” every holiday, many beloved cats, and all her “Littles.”
Sandy was preceded in death by her father, mother, and brother, David “Dinkus” Dalton. Sandy is survived by her sister, Patricia A Doxtater, Newberg OR, her daughters, Donna Gillesby, Simi Valley CA, Dani Winner, Nampa ID, Lori Aguinaga, Newbury Park CA, four grandchildren, five great grandchildren, her grand-dog Sutton, and her ever present and loyal kit-ten, Nannette.
A Celebration of Life for Sandy Carlsen will be held at Strathearn Historical Park and Museum, 137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, CA, on Saturday, June 24, 2023, from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Please join us in remembrance of a life well lived and loved.