Alice Carlson Sanford January 13, 1930 -- January 30, 2026
Alice Sanford quietly passed away in her sleep Friday morning (Jan. 30th) at the Highgate Memory Care facility where she received excellent care in Bozeman, Montana. Alice (Mormor to her grandchildren) was born January 13, 1930, in the small town of Ong, Nebraska, to Leonard and Lillian Carlson. The youngest of three daughters, she entered this world at the beginning of the Great Depression. Like most other families at that time in this part of Nebraska, the Carlsons lived on a farm a short distance from the actual town of Ong, which boasted a population of a few hundred people in its heyday. On the farm, there were chickens for eggs, cows to milk, and butter to churn. Alice grew up surrounded by her extended family. Several aunts, uncles, and cousins resided nearby, as did her grandparents on both sides, who had emigrated from Sweden. Alice attended the single school in Ong, which housed kindergarten through twelfth grade. During her high school years, she enjoyed being a cheerleader for the Ong basketball team, which, thanks to her enthusiasm, went to the state finals. In 1947, Alice graduated as one in a class of just four students. Even in her youth, Alice felt the pull of the wider world, on occasion traveling with her friends to the “big town” of Geneva to swim.
After high school, Alice enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, becoming the first in her family to attend a four-year college. From photographs of that time, it is clear she embraced college life with enthusiasm. She joined the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, earning a reputation as a sweetheart and heartbreaker. Alice graduated in 1951, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Art.
Alice’s first job after college was teaching at an elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraska. Typical of Alice’s adventurous spirit, after one year of teaching in Nebraska, she decided to move to the Los Angeles area, where her older sister, Marian, lived. In 1952, she was hired as a first-grade teacher at a local elementary school and shared an apartment with another young teacher, Charm, from the same school. Like many young, single women of the era, they were interested in meeting young men, but in a respectable way. Through a remarkably serendipitous chain of events, two Caltech graduate students learned of these teachers’ existence, acquired their contact information, and proposed a double date.
Alice and Charm dated these two gentlemen until 1954, when, seeking more adventure than a couple of California-men could provide, they announced plans to take new teaching jobs in Venezuela, working for one of the oil companies. Although Alice and Charm probably thought this would be devastating news to these young men, Allan (Al) Sanford is noted to have stated upon hearing the news, “frankly, I don’t give a damn.” Fate, however, gave a damn, and Al would end up marrying Alice. Prior to the romcom ending alluded to, Alice went off to Venezuela, and again, based on pictures and letters of the time, clearly enjoyed herself. After a year of lounging in hammocks and sunbathing on beaches, Alice decided to return to Southern California, leaving Charm behind with a new love interest. It was at this time, the fall of 1955, that Al reached out to Alice (even though he had been dating Charm initially) and asked her out. Within a year, they were engaged and then married on August 31, 1956.
While Al completed his Ph.D. at Caltech, Alice continued teaching at a local elementary school. She loved life in California, a far cry from the corn fields of Nebraska, and hoped to continue living there once Al finished his degree. Al, however, again did not give a damn. Even though Al had opportunities to work for oil companies in California, he set his sights on something completely different. With apparently very little or any consultation with Alice, he accepted a faculty position at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) in Socorro, New Mexico –a town he had never visited. In the summer of 1957, Alice and Al, accompanied by Al’s father, packed up two cars, including Alice’s beloved ’55 Chevy Coupe, picked straight from the factory, and set off along Route 66, turning south on US 85 along the Rio Grande Valley. As they approached Socorro, they stopped at the sand dunes that were once dominant east of the Ladrones mountains. Alice, upon surveying the stark desert landscape, allegedly declared with some passion, “Al if it gets much worse, I am not staying.”
Despite her initial doubts and clear concerns about Socorro (a town with a population of roughly 5,000 and home to over 30 gas stations) and its surroundings, Alice and Al found a welcoming and close-knit community. New Mexico Tech provided housing for Al and Alice on a hill above the campus. Here, Alice was welcomed by a network of women who, like her, had followed husbands -willingly or otherwise- into academic life in the desert. This warm reception and sense of community gave Alice a way to see beyond the stark landscape and many gas stations, helping Alice to eventually appreciate Socorro's rich history and culture.
Alice chose not to continue teaching and instead focused on building a family with Al to fill their house on campus hill. Their son, Robert, arrived in October of 1958, followed by a daughter, Colleen, in March of 1960. Alice was far from alone; many young families arrived in Socorro during this period, and the campus hill neighborhood became a supportive network of shared childcare, playdates, and friendship. This community formed the foundation of Alice and Al’s life in Socorro for the next fifty years.
In 1965, Alice and Al built a house across from the New Mexico Tech golf course on North Drive. They enjoyed a view across the Rio Grande Valley - occasionally interrupted by a stray golf ball. With both children in school at this time, Alice occasionally substitute taught and became increasingly involved in local organizations, including the American Association of University Women and the local ladies’ golf association. She also belonged to a local, monthly book club, which may have prioritized conversation and camaraderie over literary analysis.
Alice’s family life was rich with outdoor adventures. Alice often packed picnic lunches for weekend getaways to the Magdalena mountains or across the river to the east, where one could find abundant pottery shards left behind by Indigenous peoples. One memorable picnic involved Al’s idea to drive 100 miles west toward Reserve, NM, and stop in the middle of wherever to have lunch (fondly remembered as the 100-mile picnic). Annual Christmas tree-cutting excursions grew more elaborate over the years, eventually involving multiple families, gourmet food, and hot buttered rums.
To prevent their children from being influenced by the turbulence of the 1960s, Alice and Al engaged their family in outdoor activities, such as camping, backpacking, and skiing. They enjoyed many trips during the 1970s that successfully vented the surplus energy surging in their teenage children. The backpack trips to southwest Colorado were quite elaborate, involving multiple families. Ski trips were equally involved in the planning they required and the fun memories they created. During this time, Alice also discovered a passion for pottery, a creative outlet that even late in life she reflected upon fondly.
After Rob and Colleen left for college, late in the 1970s, Alice and Al were free to enjoy things on their own for a while. This included trips to Europe and other locations where they never took their children. Travel increased after Al retired in 1997. During the 1980s, Alice celebrated both her children’s marriages – Colleen to John Marzluff in 1985, and Rob to Joanne Chee in 1989 – and quietly (or not so quietly) yearned to become a grandmother.
Alice got her wish in November 1992, with the birth of her first granddaughter, Zoe Marzluff, followed by Kelsey Sanford (1993), Danika Marzluff (1995), Trenton Sanford (1996), and Joshua Sanford (2001). Alice and Al traveled frequently to visit their grandchildren in Boise, ID; Lansing, MI; Seattle, WA; and Champaign, IL. There were also visits to New Mexico in the summer and at Christmas, when Alice (Mormor) would prepare Swedish delights like lutefisk, which family members either bravely sampled (what Alice called a “no thank you bite”) or tactfully avoided. Cookies, however, never went uneaten. Of the many visits and trips that occurred, one of the most memorable that Alice and Al (Grumps) planned was a 2006 trip to Hawaii with the whole family to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. This was followed by another family gathering in 2007 for Grump’s 80th birthday – a surprise Alice planned with great care.
Alice and Al continued to live in their Socorro home until 2013, when Al’s health led them to move to an assisted living facility in Woodinville, WA, near Colleen. After Al’s passing in August 2016, Alice continued to thrive socially, enjoying her time with the many new friends she had made in Washington and continuing her daily phone calls with her older sister, Doris. In August 2023, Alice moved to Bozeman, MT with Colleen and moved into an assisted living residence. Colleen visited her nearly every day. Rob made multiple trips from Illinois to surprise Alice, most recently in November 2025. Alice is survived by her children, Colleen and Rob, her grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Alice was preceded in death by her husband, Al, and her sisters, Marian and Doris.
A celebration of life will occur at some future time in Pasadena, CA, where Alice’s ashes will be interred with Al’s. The family requests that those wishing to honor Alice’s life direct donations to one or more of the following organizations: Friends of Bosque del Apache (a national wildlife refuge located south of Socorro), the Nature Conservancy, or the American Association of University Women.
