Sandra Lee Aalto

Sandra “Sandy” Aalto left this world peacefully on August 16, 2020 surrounded at her bedside by her loving family. 

Sandy was born November 20, 1955 in Weymouth, Massachusetts to Edith (Nickerson) Brigham and the late Richard Brigham.  She graduated Weymouth North High School in 1973 and then went to work in accounts payable positions for South Shore lumber and home supply giant Grossman’s for more than 20 years.  She moved on to similar roles at engineering and construction firm CDM Smith in Boston from 1995 to 2020. 

Sandy was married to her husband Paul Begley from 1985 until his passing in 2005.

In addition to her mother Edith Brigham, she is survived by her son Nicholas Begley of Rockland; daughter Sara Begley of Pembroke; stepson Sean Begley and his wife Bridget of Windham, New Hampshire; brother Richard and his wife Susan of Hull; sister Wanda and her husband Robert O’Meara of Manomet; brother Ronald Brigham and his wife Ellen of Weymouth; sister-in-law Linda Doyle and her husband Thomas of Whitman; husband Michael Aalto of Pembroke, his son Michael Jr, and wife Debra of North Reading and son Brian and wife Joanna of West Roxbury; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Sandy’s life was full of love, family, friends and laughter, which was true from her first day to her last.

She was an avid gardener, and her favorite flower was the Sunflower, which was incredibly appropriate as it is known to symbolize loyalty and adoration, and for being a “happy” flower.  That was Sandy, and the Sunflower was always at the center of her garden.  

At the center of her world and closest to her heart were her two children, Nick and Sara.  One of Sandy’s favorite things to do was spending time at Paint Nights with Sara, creating paintings, bringing to life ceramic sculptures, and enjoying laughs, laughs and more laughs.  But that was just part of these special nights.  They were so much more about making and strengthening bonds and memories that only a mother and daughter can understand and share.  For her son Nick, she was always his source of advice, helping to guide him through life with things big and small, even as a grown man into his 30s.  She was always there for him.  She was his mom.  She was his rock.

Besides gardening, one of Sandy’s other favorite things to do was to go fishing, and all agree it came from a decision she and her late husband Paul made.  They purchased a boat for their young family and christened it the “Sara Lee,” the first name after their daughter, the second being Sandy’s middle name.  The boat quickly lived up to the names it embodied.  The family spent many days fishing on Whitman’s Pond and off the Fore River Bridge in Weymouth, laughing, enjoying each other’s company and making lasting memories.

She also loved making excursions to casinos, especially Twin Rivers in Rhode Island, with her dear friends Diane, Helen and June. Sandy’s game of choice was the slots and she would love spending time with her friends in search of hitting it big.  That never happened, but the times spent with her friends were worth more than any jackpot a slot machine could ever give her.

This seemingly full life had room for even more in Sandy’s eyes.  She was an avid reader, perusing anything that caught her fancy, but especially romance novels.  This was ironic as lighting struck twice and, following her marriage of 20 years to her late husband Paul, Sandy again met the love of her life and married her husband Michael in 2017.  Their life together was full of love, happiness and laughter.

And she loved to travel.  In her later years when she wasn’t helping tend her and Michael’s chickens, rabbits and ducks, she spent time with him visiting places such as Florida, Las Vegas, and New York City, and embarking on cruises to Bermuda and Hawaii.  The best part of the trips were always the same: they were together.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours on Friday 4-8 PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home SOUTH WEYMOUTH at 809 Main Street (Rte 18 opp. So. Shore Hospital).  A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church, Weymouth at 10:30 AM. Burial will follow in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Weymouth.  

In lieu of flowers, the family graciously asks that donations be made in Sandy’s memory to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 1010 Columbian Street, Weymouth, MA 02190.