Sanford Keith Quayle died on December 7, 2022, at Skaalen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Stoughton, WI. He was 86 years old.  Sandy was born on October 28, 1936, in Olney, IL, to Robert and Thelma (Smith) Quayle.

He grew up in Olney and attended East Richland High School and Southern Illinois University, from which he graduated with a degree in communications. Aspiring to become a Christian minister, he served as a lay missionary in Chile, where he taught at Iquique English College. After four wonderful and transformative years in Chile, he abandoned the idea of joining the clergy. Sandy left Chile with a great appreciation for Latin American culture and an enduring with the Fernandez family, who now reside in Santiago.

Sandy moved to New York City and its environs in the early 1960s. always curious, he explored a variety of pursuits, ranging from teaching Spanish to selling insurance to driving a taxicab. He took classes at Columbia before obtaining a master's degree in educational administration at Fordham University. His strong interests in art and in social justice took root during this period of his life. After seven years, Sandy returned to the Midwest settling in Dane County, where he sold real estate for several years, first with Century 21 and then as an independent agent. 

To Sandy, the richest and most important part of his life began when he and his wife, Joyce Brehm, welcomed their daughter Leah into the world in 1990. Sandy cherished the roles of father and house husband while continuing to nourish multiple interests, including history, music, public policy and the environment.

Through his study of the environment, Sandy came to embrace an ecologically informed land ethos and a desire to give back to the natural world. After he and Joyce purchased 220 acres of land south of Stoughton, Sandy acted on his vision of restoring the property to a beautiful habitat for wildlife and humans. Over the next twenty-five years he directed the restoration of wetlands and prairies and the planting of thousands of trees. He created walking paths, alongside of which he installed sculptures he constructed from discarded iron remnants of farm and factory machinery as well as parts from a hydroelectric plant. As his health declined, Sandy continued to see beauty in iron implements of the past and worked with local artisans to fabricate a variety of pieces. Utilizing gears in particular, these artworks explore the circle as a symbol of the Earth and of life. He worked on a smaller scale with heating grates, sewing machine treadles, flywheels, and stained glass.
Sandy's legacy is one of love for beauty and the natural world. He loved his family and friends dearly, and cared deeply about the plight of the Earth and humanity in the Anthropcene.

Sandy was predeceased by his parents; and his brothers: Robert, Jon and James Quayle.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Joyce Brehm, of Stoughton; and his daughter, Leah Wellman Stein, her husband Jonathan; and their sons: Solomon and Marcus, all of Houston, TX. He is also survived by a brother, Tom Quayle and sister, Lucinda Dale. He is further survived by special cousins: Kay Hodge and Rebecca Piper; and a special niece, Martha Quayle.

The family thanks the staff Agrace Hospice for compassionate care over the past two years.
A Celebration of Life is planned for the spring.

Published by Madison.com on Jan. 17, 2023