Sandra Lou Corriero

Sandra Lou Corriero, 52, of Casa Grande and formerly of Eloy, died Dec. 23, 2008 in Casa Grande of complications from breast cancer.


Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at J. Warren Funeral Services, Cole & Maud The Gardens Chapel in Casa Grande. Mass and celebration of life will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday at St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church in Eloy. A reception will follow at the Santa Cruz Valley Union High School cafeteria. Interment will be at 2 p.m. in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 5005 E. Oak St. (48th Street, between Thomas and McDowell roads) in Phoenix.

Mrs. Corriero was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to Marvin and Alda Geiger. She moved to Phoenix in 1967 and attended Madison No. 1 Elementary School and Camelback High School. She received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and education and a minor in music from Northern Arizona University in 1977, graduating Magna Cum Laude in three years. She married Germain Corriero on June 10, 1977 in Phoenix.

She started teaching music in 1977 at the old Central School in Eloy, then moved to the intermediate school and, starting in 1980, also taught at Eloy Junior High School. She had an award-winning music program with bands performing around Arizona. Choir and jazz band were included in the program. She also taught math for two years. She retired in 1993 due to reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

While in elementary school she played first violin in the Phoenix Symphonettes Orchestra, then later played in the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra. She played trumpet in the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and the NAU Symphony Orchestra and also the NAU marching and concert bands. She was a member of the Arizona Music Educators Association and received its O.M. Hartsell Excellence in Teaching Music Award in 1989. She served on the board at Villa Oasis alternative school for 10 years. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society and Delta Kappa Gamma honor society for women educators for 22 years. In 1989 she and her husband received the Eloy Good Neighbor of the Year award. In recent years she was active in community life at Ironwood Village and enjoyed quilting, working with gourds and other crafts, swimming and playing the piano.

In addition to her husband, survivors include two daughters, Rosemary E. Ricafort (Corriero) and Stephanie M. Corriero; her parents, of Surprise; two sisters, Cindy L. Sparks of Anthem and Brenda L. Mastro of Scottsale; a brother, Roger L. Geiger of Phoenix; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure at http://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html.