Obituary of Josephine "Jo" Grasso Sandness

Josephine "Jo" Grasso Sandness, 73, a long-time resident of Stamford, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at Stamford Hospital. She was born in Stamford on November 24, 1945 to the late Sam and Josephine Lucia Grasso. She is survived by her son Edward "Ted" Charles Land III of West Palm Beach, FL, her husband Lawrence K. Sandness of Stamford, her brother and sister-in-law Francis J. and Alice M. Grasso formerly of Easton and now of Winter Park, FL, and her nephews Sam and Francis J. Grasso, Jr. and her niece Robin Grasso Dobbs and her husband Marc, all of the Orlando, FL area. Jo graduated high school at Sacred Heart Academy in Stamford, attended Dayton University and thereafter married Edward C. Land, Jr. Within 6 months after the birth of their son in 1970, doctors labeled Jos son Ted as "autistic", "severely retarded" and "neurologically impaired" and gave Jo no hope. But Jo had developed her own hope through closely observing her son, and decided that the only way to help Ted was to educate herself. While caring for Ted and her elderly parents and working, Jo completed a B.A. in Psychology in 1978, an M.S. in Education in 1981 and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in School Psychology in 1982, each at Fairfield University. Ted remarkable story of overcoming the doctors bleak predictions and rising above his learning disabilities, with courage and Jos love and help, has been told in an article by Angela Carella published in the April 22, 1991 edition of Stamford Advocate. Jo continued counseling families of the handicapped and actively engaging in fundraising for handicapped children and adults, and for many years also was a co-owner and Director of Granaston Incorporated, a local real estate company. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities, 25 Van Zant St., Suite 15-5, Norwalk, CT 06855, or to the charity of your choice. A private Mass was held for the immediate family. Jo was laid to rest in Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien. www.lawrencefuneralhome.com Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820