Sandra “Sandi” Byers

Sandra “Sandi” Byers

Monticello

Sandra “Sandi” Byers, 73, of Monticello, died Saturday, February 10, 2024, at Monticello Nursing and Rehabilitation.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 am Monday, February 19, 2024, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Monticello. Rev. Paul Baldwin will officiate. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Monticello. Friends may call from 4 to 7 pm Sunday, February 18, 2024, at the Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello, where a parish vigil service will begin at 4 pm. Please visit Goettschonline.com to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences with Sandi’s family.

Sandra Jean Schafer was born on June 2, 1950, at the old John McDonald Hospital, Monticello. The daughter of Louis and Dorothy (Laban) Schafer, she attended school in Monticello, and graduated from Monticello High School in the Class of 1968. She met Jan Byers at a teen hop and the two would later unite in marriage at Wayne Zion Lutheran Church on August 30, 1968. She was employed as a bookkeeper and secretary at Franklin Manufacturing in Monticello, leaving in 1999 to serve in the same capacity at the Iowa Department of Transportation. She retired in 2015.

Sandi will be remembered as a great person, possessing a feisty tenacity, which allowed her to live life with an energetic spirit. A hard charge from the minute she woke to the minute she went to bed, who loved to garden and cook. Among her specialties were her “Factory Beans” and “Hankie Panks.” Never one to sugar coat anything, she was a straight shooter who you could always count on to tell it like it was. She was a great animal enthusiast, except for birds which were “hated with a passion.” As a parent, with an uncanny sixth sense to know exactly what her children were up to, she was always stern, yet fair. She held a special place in her loving heart for her family, especially her grandchildren.

She will be cherished by her husband of nearly 56 years, Jan, her children Jeremy, Marion, and Gretchen (Derrick Schantz) Byers, Urbana, grandchildren Zach, Tessa (Dalton), Rachael, and Zander, siblings Jim (Coco) Schafer, San Diego, CA, and Carol (Paul) Adams, Peoria, IL, brothers-in-Law Charles (Sharon) Byers, Anamosa, Greg (Robin) Byers, and Randy (Deb) Byers, as well as by nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Sandi’s family extends thanks to the doctors and staff of Above and Beyond Hospice, Monticello Nursing and Rehabilitation, and Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. Their care and attention to her needs will always be remembered.