Russell Sandy

Russell R. Sandy, 88, of Mount Pleasant, died Monday, November 3, 2025, at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in West Burlington.

Russ was born on July 27, 1937, in Sandoval, IL, the son of Adrian and Gudruda Sandy. He was saved and then baptized at Sandoval Baptist Church on March 27, 1955. He then graduated from Sandoval High School that May. In November, he was married to Donna Sechrest of Salem, Il. During their thirty-one years of marriage they had two children, Mark and Lisa. Russ worked several jobs throughout his lifetime, but his main career was institutional food sales. If you were to ask him what his most rewarding job was, he would tell you it was being a paraeducator at an elementary school until he officially retired. On July 5, 1987, Russ was united in marriage to Diana Colstrom, in Kansas City, MO, and they were happily married 38 years. The couple made their home in Olathe, KS, prior to moving to Mount Pleasant in 2014.

Russ had three things that he absolutely loved: serving the Lord, serving his family, and working with his hands. Over the course of his life, he spent many years serving as a deacon at various different churches. He was also extremely active in their church in Olathe, and he enjoyed attending Calvary Baptist Church when they moved to Mount Pleasant. At home, he always had a Bible handy, ready to read whenever he had a chance. He also loved to talk to people about the Lord. In his change pocket he always carried a metal cross so that when he was digging for change someone might notice it, giving him a chance to talk to them about their salvation.

Not only did Russ love the Lord, he also loved his family. He was a loving and caring husband and father who believed in providing for his family and worked hard in order to do that well. He was someone that you could truly rely on and was always there to offer a helping hand or word of advice. He also loved to share his knowledge with others, especially his vast knowledge of all the roads in Kansas City. You could ask him how to get somewhere, and he would give you very detailed directions, right down to which lane you needed to drive in.

One of his favorite ways to spend time with his family was working on a project. Over his life, he had many hobbies such as wood carving, leather work, and stained glass. He could always be found finding something to fix or tinker with, and hours were spent in his shop with a grandchild or two patiently and carefully showing them how to build or fix something.

Russ is survived by his wife Diana; four children Mark Sandy of Lee’s Summit, MO; Lisa (Jerry) Toops of Wayland, MO; Scott (Karen) Colstrom of Osage City, KS; Todd (Suzanne) Colstrom of Gardner, KS; grandchildren John (Nadia) Sandy, Jason (Ashlee) Sandy, Brian Sandy, Brandi (Cody) Kreisel, Brittany (Joseph) Nigro, Tanner (Ashlee) Toops, Tara Toops, Tucker Toops, Megan (Andrew Zeserman) Colstrom, Max Colstrom, Ava Colstrom; great grandchildren John, Daniela, Kaylee, Wyatt, Jacob, Mikaela, Colton, Easton, Clara; great great grandchildren Charlotte, Elliot; sisters-in-law Charlene Woods, Elaine Woods, Ramona Sandy, Susan (Stephan) Eiermann, Paula (Bruce) Doyle, brother-in-law Jim Delehanty, and several nieces and nephews..

He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings Wilma Jean (Stan) Leith, Jim Woods, Raymond Woods, Phil Sandy, Bev Wiseman, Jolynne Harling; and sister-in-law Ann Delehanty.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staffs of Hospice House and SE Iowa Regional Medical Center for the excellent care of Russ and the family.

The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Calvary Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 12:00 p.m. until the time of service. Burial will be in the Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a memorial contribution to the Alzheimer's Association – Iowa Chapter. The Olson-Yoder Funeral Home & Crematory is caring for Russ and his family. Condolences may be left for the family at www.olsonyoderfh.com