Sandra Gordon, hairdresser and friend to many in Forres over her 44-year career, has died aged 60.
Her funeral cortege will pause in High Street close to her business Classic Cut Hairdressers, where she worked with her sister Marian, and Liz Fraser.
Sandra’s husband, Calum, said his wife adored her work and to many customers she was a friend and often provided assistance that went far beyond that expected from a hairdresser.
School years
Sandra was born in Forres to Nancy and Ian Mackintosh and attended Applegrove Primary School and then Forres Academy.
When attending Forres Academy, Sandra worked part time at the Spar on High Street. After leaving school, she started working full time at Banks jewellers.
Her elder sister Marian opened up the West End Hairdressing salon, located on St Catherine’s Road, in 1977. When Sandra was 16 she went to work with Marian in the salon.
Judith Innes was a second qualified hairdresser who worked with Marian at this time.
The West End salon closed in 1983 when the lease expired on the property and Marian stopped working to have her son.
Business owner
Later that same year, Sandra started up the current Classic Cut salon off the High Street with Judith as her business partner. Several years later Marian came back to work part time for Sandra and Judith.
From 1983, Sandra and Judith ran Classic Cut for 31 years until Judith retired in 2014.
Judith sadly passed away in early 2020 during the first Covid lockdown.
From 2014, Sandra ran the business herself and employed another hairdresser, Liz Fraser, to replace Judith and work alongside Marian.
Calum said: “Sandra did not want to retire. She continued at the shop until the start of the last lockdown at the beginning of this year.”
Reunited
Sandra and Calum had gone out together during their school days but parted when Calum went to college in Aberdeen.
Sandra went on to marry and have two children, Lindsay and Ross, before divorcing.
“In 2010, a friend put something on Friends Reunited about Sandra so I sent her a message at Christmas,” said Calum.
“We kept in touch by text for a while and then Sandra came to Aberdeen and we went out on a date to an Italian restaurant and married in 2015.”
Dog lover
Sandra had a great love of dogs and kept many springer spaniels over the years, including some rescue dogs. As Sandra would have approved, any intended donations should be made to Springer Rescue Scotland.
“We are allowed 50 at the service but I am sure many of Sandra’s customers, who she counted as friends, would have wanted to be there if we had been allowed more.”
Marian and Liz will continue to operate the Classic Cut salon and welcome the support of customers and friends.
The family’s announcement can be read here.