TRAVERSE CITY -- There's plenty they'll miss about Sandy Raymond, friends and family said, but her consistently positive attitude tops the list.
"She never had anything bad to say about anybody," said Roger Argue, her friend and longtime boss at Robertson's Hair Center in downtown Traverse City. "She always looked for the positive side in everything, and that was a great thing to have."
Raymond, a barber at Robertson's for 22 years, died in a traffic crash about 8:45 a.m. Sunday in Grand Traverse County's Grant Township.
She was driving south on County Road 633 near Fryzelka Road when a vehicle driven by Jillian Kerby, 22, crossed the center line and struck Raymond's vehicle.
Raymond, 50, was on the way to visit family in the Flint area.
The loss hit her co-workers hard. Raymond was one of four barbers at Robertson's, and all of them worked with her throughout her tenure at the shop, Argue said.
"The guys here, we all feel the same way. She's just like a sister," he said. "It's a pretty tough thing."
Raymond leaves two daughters, 19 and 20, and a son, 29. Friends and family said she showed tremendous dedication to her children.
"She was probably the best mother I've ever met," said her sister-in-law, Becky LaFave.
Many customers at Robertson's had a special connection with Raymond.
"She was really well-liked by everybody," Argue said. "All of her clients were real close to her."
More than people benefitted from Raymond's good spirits and generosity. She had a habit of rescuing animals, Argue said, and recently was seen giving parts of her lunch to a stranded baby seagull in the alley behind the barber shop.
Her love of animals was well-known and discussed at Robertson's.
"She always rescued cats," Argue said. "We were always kidding her about having a herd of cats."
Kerby, of Grawn, suffered injuries that aren't considered life-threatening. Police believe she may have been speeding at the time of the crash, which remains under investigation.
Funeral arrangements for Raymond are pending with Covell Funeral Home in Traverse City.
