Sandra Kay Schneider

Sandra Kay Schneider, 87, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2024, under hospice care at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, Mason City. Sandra’s body was gifted to the University of Iowa Deeded Body Program Anatomical Gift of Medical Research.

A celebration of life service will be held at 5 p.m., Friday, April 12, at the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 502 2nd Ave North, Clear Lake; with Reverend Sylvester Holima officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.

Sandy’s life was surrounded by family and friends. She was a ray of sunshine and always put her family and friends before herself. She was also active in her church, United Methodist Church in Clear Lake.

Sandy was a very talented seamstress and loved sewing and quilting. One way she shared this talent was by “making something out of nothing” with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Creating and crafting were important ways that Sandy bonded with those she loved. Her family has fond memories wrapped up in everything that she crafted with her own hands and will be forever grateful for these pieces of her.

Sandy found joy in contributing to her community through volunteering. Over the years she supported Central Gardens in Clear Lake, Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, Meals on Wheels, The Humane Society, and her children’s and grandchildren’s schools through volunteering. She believed in the importance of giving back to her community and instilled this in her grandchildren by taking them with her to help volunteer every chance she got.  Sandy’s last charitable act was whole body donation to the University of Iowa, something she was passionate about and believed in for decades.

Sandy loved music. She shared fond memories of playing in the high school band and she played the piano into her adult life.  She was an avid sports fan and loved to watch golf, football, baseball and basketball. Some of her favorite teams were Iowa State, University of Iowa, Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos. She also loved to travel and would come to Colorado often to visit family.  Sandy also enjoyed playing cards and developed ever-lasting friendships from her bridge group.

Sandy was born on June 23, 1936 in Miller, S.D. to Edward Ives and Audrae Vernette (Shaefer) Weber and was the oldest of three sisters. 

Sandy attended school through seventh grade in Miller. She was a “town kid” so she walked to school each morning, home for lunch, then back for the afternoon. The family moved to Madison, S.D. the year Sandy started eighth grade and she finished high school there. She graduated from high school in 1954 and then attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. to study home economics. She met Eugene Robeson in college, they were married in 1955 and had two children, Pamela and Thomas. Eugene was in the military, so they moved around the country. Eugene died while serving our country as an Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam war.  

While teaching ballroom dance lessons in Sioux City, Iowa, Sandy met and married Larry Cooksey. They had two daughters, Annette and Suzette.  Later in life, Sandy attended Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg and then worked as a records secretary at the college for several years.  In Emmetsburg, she met and married Jerry Schneider, welcoming three stepsons into the family – Michael, Mark and Patrick.  They lived there until Jerry’s passing in 1987. 

For the last 16 years, she has called Clear Lake her home, and has enjoyed the Clear Lake community. She loved spending time with family and developed many dear friendships. She was loved by many (everyone that met her) and will be dearly missed.

Sandra is survived by her children, Pamela Jean Baade (Ronnie), of Algona, Thomas Eugene Robeson (Rose) of Denver, Colo. and Suzette Lynn Rolling (Bob) of Clear Lake; her step-sons, Mike Schneider, of Emmetsburg, and Mark Schneider, of Omo Wis.; her nine grandchildren, Brandon Baade (Paige), of Algona, Jill Christensen (Mark), of Belleville, Ill., Andrew Robeson, of Denver, Katelyn Dierdorff (Mick), of Steamboat Springs, Colo., Tara Illig (Gavin) of Whitemore, Iowa, Matthew Gagen of Bode, Iowa, Sarah Markley (Ricky) of Dakota City, Iowa, Natalie Rolling of Woodbury, Minnesota, Paige Rolling, of Ames; her 10 great-grandchildren, Lincoln Baade, Chevelle Baade, Maisy Christensen, Melody Christensen, Treyton Johnson, Lucy Illig, Frank Illig, Noah Markley, Henry Markley, Emilia Markley; and her two sisters, Janet Weber and Carolyn Scoville (Ron).

Sandy was preceded in death by Eugene Robeson, Larry Cooksey, Jerry Schneider; her daughter, Annette Montag (Jack); her great-grandson, Milo Christensen; and her stepson, Patrick Schneider.

Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.