Sanford Davidson Shlyen

Shlyen, Sanford D. (1942-2024) 

Sanford Davidson Shlyen (Sandy) passed away peacefully at Bayside Health and Rehab Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia on October 10, 2024, at the age of 81. He was a long-time resident of Virginia Beach since 1963. In 2015, Sandy suffered a stroke that left him handicapped on his right side and affected his speech for the rest of his life, generally affecting his strength and ongoing endurance, ultimately leading to his death from natural causes. Sandy was born to Birdie and Jesse Shlyen in Kansas City, Missouri on November 16, 1942. He and his family were members of Beth Shalom Synagogue in Kansas City, where he attended Hebrew School and Sunday School and was Bar Mitzvah’d at the age of 13. He graduated from Southwest High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1961 and then went on to the University of Missouri in Columbia to study in the arts – he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in photography and graphic design. He was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity while at MU. He was career Air Force, attaining the rank of Major, deployed overseas during the Vietnam conflict, spending his state-side years working in the field of creating and editing educational military videos. Upon his return to the States in 1971, he was stationed briefly in the New York City area where he met his wife and eventually settled in the Virginia Beach area, his wife’s hometown, to continue his military career there until his ultimate retirement in 2010. After retirement he took on part-time work, generally associated with second-hand thrift businesses, often working behind the scenes, repairing and bringing back to life donated electronic equipment. Sandy was a handyman who could put back together just about any piece of, well, anything, often helping friends and neighbors. He loved maintaining the gardening at his Virginia Beach residence and keeping his many scattered possessions in an orderly arrangement around his house. His artistic endeavors brought him full circle into the world of calligraphy where he was able to prepare the most lovely wedding and birth and anniversary announcements at a reasonable cost to his clients, sometimes preparing his work, using the Hebrew alphabet. He maintained good standing with the local calligraphy circle in his area for several years, attaining the position of President of the local club and sharing his knowledge and expertise with many of the new associates. Sandy’s father was in the printing business and, as expected, he continued his interest in printing, collecting many hand-operated printing presses, back in the day before computer generated results, using typesetting, inks and related supplies, using his artistic talents to create many outstanding presentations. A great love of Sandy were his cats with whom he and his wife shared loving experiences over the years. He is predeceased by his parents and wife, Carol Cohen Shlyen. He leaves behind a sister (Nancy Dorfman), a brother (Stephen Shlyen) and nephew (Brian Dorfman). Sandy will be missed by all who were able to spend time with him, enjoying his friendly company and charming humor. Rest in peace, Sandy.

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