Charlotte Jean Ewer Sanddal of Helena, at 101 years old, finished her last race on February 19, 2024. Surrounded by family and friends, she passed peacefully in her sleep after a life well-lived.
Charlotte was born August 15, 1922 in Chicago, IL, to Leonard and Bertha (Stuke) Ewer. She was an energetic tomboy who loved the outdoors and working on cars with her father. Charlotte was active in Job’s Daughters in the tradition of her mother, in Eastern Star, and father, in the Masons. The family drove a Ford “Model T” from Illinois to tour Yellowstone in 1933 and Charlotte became forever determined to one day live “out west.” There is a wonderful picture of her as a small girl standing face-to-face with an upright bear cub!
Charlotte joined the Navy’s “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services” (“WAVES”) program during World War II. She trained and served in Norman, OK, as a machinist’s mate, helping to build and repair Navy planes. She wore her Navy uniform (which she always said was much more stylish than the Army’s women’s service!) for the last time at a veteran’s memorial service last year and it fit like a glove.
While in the service, she met James (“Jim”) Wesley Sanddal and they married in 1946. After the war, following both their hearts, they moved to Utah to attend college on the GI Bill. Charlotte earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. They moved to Wyoming and then to Boulder, following Jim’s career.
Through the years, they adopted four children: Nels, Jamie, Sabrina and Vanessa. In 1965, after leaving his position as superintendent of Boulder River School and Hospital, the couple, along with a group of friends/investors, purchased an 1880’s hot springs resort in Boulder, then called the Diamond S Ranchotel, now known as Boulder Hot Springs.
The hot springs had fallen into some disrepair, but within just a couple years, they had updated the facilities and the hotel, hot spring pools and ranch operation and the hotel was booked solid for much of the year. The “smorgasbord,” an amazing buffet dinner, served over 300 people every Saturday night, the New Year’s festivities were famous, and the hotel was filled wall to wall.
Charlotte returned to school to earn her master’s degree in social work with a certificate in gerontology in 1981 after she and Jim divorced. She then worked for the State of Montana as an inspector of nursing home facilities around the state until she retired at 72.
The next nearly 30 years were a kaleidoscope of camping, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking adventures all over Montana and the U.S. She also traveled to many other countries, usually in an educational tour or program, in the company of at least one dear friend from among her large circle of adventurous companions.
At age 72, Charlotte became a competitive swimmer as a member of the Helena “Ridley” swim team. She set records in multiple swim events over 30 years, including at least three national/international swim records in the 100–105-year-old age category just last year. The Ridley members are a right group and really became Charlotte’s second family. After a long and healthy life, a series of health setbacks afflicted Charlotte in her last year and meant the heartbreaking end of her swim career. But she continued to cheer on her teammates, and they have been a constant source of support and comfort to her.
In addition to her children, Charlotte is survived by her granddaughters Jami, Hunter and Merrill. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Jim, her sister Leone, and many friends and family members that she missed deeply.
In lieu of flowers, Charlotte hoped that donations might be made to the Helena Regional Sports Association “ARC” project, a multi-discipline sports center including a competitive swimming pool to be built for the Helena community. Charlotte and the Ridley swim team have been working with a multitude of others to make this dream a reality. Donate in Charlotte’s name at htps://helenasports.org/donate.
A memorial service will be held this spring, once the wonderful flowing water, flowers and grasses return to the Montana mountains Charlotte loved so much.
