Sandra Sherrill (Bell) Nightingale, 80, of Swansea, MA, passed away at home on May 10, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. She was the loving wife of James Nightingale. They were married for 60 years.

Born in Fall River, MA and raised in Swansea, she was the daughter of the late Swansea Chief of Police Ernest W. Bell and the late Ernestine (Aragao) Bell.

Besides her husband James, she is survived by their two children, Dawn Nightingale of Swansea and Scott Nightingale and his wife Conchita of Taylorsville, NC. Her son David predeceased her in 1983. She was the proud grandmother of four grandchildren; Scotty Nightingale of Oceanside, CA, James Brooks of Vista, CA, Kevin Brooks of Vista, CA and Sarah Nightingale of Depoe Bay, OR. She is survived by five great grandchildren; Eli, Orion, Aurora, David and Aiden.

She is also survived by her brother Kenneth Bell of Trujillo, Peru, his son Kenneth of Swansea and several other nieces and nephews as well as many cousins.

Sandra graduated from Case High School with a GED in 1976, got a degree from Bristol Community College in 1978 and attended Brown University in 1979. She left Brown to join her husband working in Germany after proving she could compete successfully with the best and the brightest.

Sandra was a true artist in many areas, she painted in oils and acrylics, made porcelain dolls, gardened and had an eye for antiques, handicrafts and collectibles from all over the world. She was an athlete, competing in basketball and track in high school, skiing in the Alps in Germany and playing tennis in Panama and Thailand. In her 40s, she became a PADI certified Scuba Diver.

In 1996, Sandra got her first Portuguese water dog. He fast became her passion and interest in the breed led to a second with the intent of breeding them. Sandy and her husband established Stonecove Kennel and dove in deeply to the breeding and showing in AKC shows across New England and as far as Wisconsin and Maryland to the National Specialties. This hobby opened up a whole new world which gave such joy to her. She showed her favorite dog to her championship and took it all the way to the Westminster Dog Show to compete. She made many lifelong friends during these years especially with our puppy parents and other breeders and handlers.

During her working years, she started off in banking in Fall River and used those skills as she and her husband worked in the US and internationally first with the US Army as a military family and later in a civil servant capacity. In Chiangmai, Thailand, Sandra was the office manager for the first Drug Enforcement Agency team set up to interdict drugs flowing from the so-called “Golden Triangle” in 1972. In the early 1980’s, she worked with the primary US Army counter-intelligence unit managing the budget. The mid-eighties found her in Panama doing budget management for the Army Recreation Program. The late eighties and early 90s found her back in Europe managing intelligence funds in Heidelberg and Munich.

After taking early retirement in 1992, Sandra and her husband established and ran “Nightingales Landing Bed and Breakfast” in the Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia area until 1998. They also established the Campling Company, which imported and distributed Bunzlauer Polish Pottery across Canada. In 1998, they returned to the US and settled first in Warren, RI and later Swansea where Sandra was able to paint, garden and relax. Everywhere she went throughout her life she made it a happier place just by being there. To know her was to love her.

Her services will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 9:00 AM from Waring-Sullivan Home at Birchcrest, 189 Gardners Neck Rd., Swansea followed by her funeral service at 10:00 AM in Christ Episcopal Church, 57 Main St., Swansea. Her burial will be in Christ Church Cemetery, Swansea. Visiting hours are Wednesday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her honor to the Ernest W. Bell Animal Shelter/Swansea Animal Control, 68 Stevens Rd., Swansea, MA 02777 or a charity of your choice. For directions and tributes, www.waring-sullivan.com