Victor Hugo Alexander Sandy

Victor Hugo Alexander Sandy personified resilience and faith. He was born on August 19, 1931 in Canaan, Tobago. The eldest son of Arnold and Iris Sandy, Victor spent his early years in both Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies.

Victor longed to move to America and pursue his goal of becoming a doctor. That path took unexpected and even heartbreaking turns after he decided to pledge his life to God.

At 16, after a chance invitation to an evangelistic series, Victor gave his heart to God during those church meetings. His decision to join the Seventh-day Adventist church through baptism was vehemently opposed by his father, who carried out his threat to kick his son out of the home.

God intervened, however. Friends from his new church took him into their home. Victor later attended Caribbean Union College, an Adventist school which ultimately became known as the University of the Southern Caribbean. Victor had to work his way through school, starting with a job at a broom factory. He later taught Spanish in the Port of Spain.

He never lost sight of his dream to become a doctor. In 1962, Victor ultimately found his way to Miami with only $100 in his pocket and a suitcase in his hand.

California was his ultimate destination. He eventually enrolled at what would later be called La Sierra University in Riverside.

La Sierra in the 1960s was segregated, and Victor wasn’t allowed to live in the dormitory. Even with a roommate, Victor could only afford to live in a shack near the campus. Money was tight without any financial assistance, so Victor found a job working for a construction company.

He graduated in 1964 with his bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry. After that milestone, Victor was ready for a serious courtship. For Victor, romance meant long-distance correspondence to a woman he knew from the West Indies. Victor’s story of giving everything up for Jesus impressed a young Lucy thousands of miles away.

Soon, Victor invited Lucy to take her own leap of faith. He asked her to leave Trinidad to join him in California. She agreed. They married in 1965 in Los Angeles.

The early years of their marriage were not easy. Victor and Lucy, a registered nurse, worked during their summers in Los Angeles in order to save money for medical school life. Victor had been accepted into Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico.

When the time came to attend school, the young couple packed their white Plymouth station wagon and drove all the way to Guadalajara.

Eldest son Ian was born during that first year of medical school. Eventually, the Sandy family added two daughters Ailsa and Gisella to the clan. Victor graduated medical school in 1972.

After a short stint as an intern at a Canadian hospital, Victor and his family later moved to San Diego, where he worked as a phlebotomist. He later passed FLEX, a competitive test also known as the Foreign Licensing Examination for doctors who were not trained in America.

With his new credentials, Victor set his sights on serving in Riverside, close to Parkview Community Hospital. In 1980, he opened his first independent practice, and later he established another office in the nearby city of Perris. During this time of juggling two offices, he also earned a master’s degree in public health.

Riverside County proved to be both an excellent place to work and to build a home. Their children excelled in school and all earned university degrees.

In addition to his medical career, Victor proved to be an ardent amateur athlete. He finished a full marathon in Honolulu in 1989 as a member of the Loma Linda Lopers. A passionate cricket fan, Victor built his own cricket pitch in his backyard to practice batting and bowling with friends.

An active member of what would become known as the La Sierra University church, Victor also served as its deacon for many years.

He later retired from practicing medicine in 2008 after facing health challenges for several years.

In 2022, Victor and Lucy joined their daughter Gisella in Idaho. The family felt so much compassion and support from their new church family at the Sandpoint Adventist church.

Victor died in his Sandpoint, Idaho home on October 31, 2023. He is survived by his wife Lucy, daughters Ailsa and Gisella, son Ian, daughter-in-law May, and grandchildren Caleb, Eden and Jericho.

Memorial services for Dr. Victor Sandy will take place at 4:00 pm on December 2 at the Kansas Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church is located at 4491 Kansas Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507.