Funeral services took place Aug. 21 for Sandra Aileen Kupferberg of North Bergen. She passed away Aug. 14. She spent most of her life in North Bergen, raised by her late parents Jaime and Esther. She is survived by her sister, Iris, half-sister, Rachel, and her son, Beau.
Sandra was born in Weehawken’s former North Hudson Hospital and lived simply in Union City until the age of 10 when she moved to North Bergen with her family and set permanent roots there. As a teenager, she began working at Tom’s Cleaners with Diane and Fredy and also became a second mother to their children. She studied hard at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Lyndhurst to earn a business degree. With a dedication to the business, she used her aptitude to buy Tom’s Cleaners – changed to Sandy’s Cleaners – in 1979 and had a thriving business with her out-of-the-box thinking to expand the business.
But her dreams did not end there, as she would have a child of her own and, eventually, buy the building in 1987. One of her favorite things was to deliver customer’s clothes as Santa Claus during Christmas. Sandy’s Cleaners was more than a cleaners; it was also a welcome social spot for locals to gather, hang out together, and relax which was a tradition started by her father and his business, Jaime’s VW. Many memories were created by everyone that stepped foot into Sandy’s Cleaners and has spread throughout. Sandra would impart many life lessons to her pride and joy, Beau, who would carry out all her love and passion in everything he does. Her younger sister, Iris, learned how to be strong and confident from Sandra, yet still relied on her. Sandra was also an avid animal lover since childhood having a plethora of pets that she loved unconditionally. Services arranged by the Wein & Wein Memorial Chapel, Hackensack.