Charles 'Sandy' Sanford Swallow

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Charles Sanford Swallow. Sandy passed away at the age of 78 surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife Teri, their children Summer and Trevor, his wife Erica, and grandchildren Ian and Dara.

Born and raised in Glendale, California to Charles and Marietta Swallow, Sandy graduated from Crescenta Valley High School and earned his AA degree from Glendale City College. Sandy began a career as an Aircraft Mechanic in Burbank; yet he quickly found a new path with real estate, thanks to a suggestion by his childhood friend, Hank. On his first day as a licensed real estate agent, Sandy sold a home. He knew then that Real Estate was for him. In 1964, Sandy met the love of his life, Teri, at Bob’s Big Boy, and they were married 4 years later. In 1975 they sold everything, loaded up the dog and moved from Southern California to Sebastopol.

Sandy enjoyed a remarkable 54 year career in real estate. With a strong work ethic he regularly worked 6 days a week, “so that later [he] wouldn’t have to”. As a real estate broker, Sandy spent the majority of his career specializing in ranches, vineyards and commercial properties, earning the nickname “Landman”. His adventurous spirit shone throughout his work, including hanging out the open door of chartered Cessnas to shoot his own 35mm aerial photography and driving an ATV across ranch listings to GPS map road networks. In addition to working with repeat buyers and celebrities, Sandy was especially proud of the deals he brokered which put properties into public land trusts, such as Pole Mountain Preserve in Jenner.

One of Sandy’s ever-present passions was his enduring love of motorsports, which began in boyhood by building and racing go-karts alongside his father. As Sandy grew up he continued to customize and race his rides including his ‘55 Chevy and ‘64 El Camino at San Fernando Drag Strip, annual dirt bike rallies in Baja Mexico, autocrossing in the Coddingtown Mall parking lot in the 1970’s, competing twice in the Pony Express open road race in Nevada, reaching speeds of over 150 mph, and most recently, annual trips to Montana for off-road explorations in his tricked out ATV.

As a member and instructor for Porsche Club of America, Sandy competed at tracks across California including Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow and Thunderhill. Within club races, Sandy stood out with his distinctive 928 “Landshark”; formerly a street-friendly ride, he delighted in tuning it for the track and testing track noise regulations. He eventually got a 914-6 “Super Zoomy”; a fully kitted racecar complete with removable fiberglass body panels and specially built racing engine. Sandy passed this pursuit of speed to his children; both of whom were his pit crew for these track weekends and raced their own cars in autocross. His need for speed also involved giving back; volunteering to drive hot laps for the annual Cherry’s Jubilee, a fundraiser for Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.

Sandy was a man of many talents, a great number of which he could not explain the origins of. Gifted with the mind of an engineer and being a licensed general contractor for 36 years, he applied his vast skills to an incredible array of projects; from designing and building his family’s home, driving heavy equipment, felling trees on a dime to welding, fabricating and fixing just about anything. He also enjoyed researching the next steps of his projects and was frequently seen surrounded by manuals, magazines and schematics. The motto “measure twice and cut once” demonstrated the careful attention to detail and accuracy that Sandy applied to every single project.

Sandy is laid to rest in the tranquil Green Valley Cemetery. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew him. Private services were held. A celebration of life will be announced to family friends. Donations in Sandy’s memory are welcome at Mt. Gilead Bible Camp & Conference Center in Sebastopol: www.mtgilead.org/donate