Grandstrand Funeral Home
http://www.grandstrandfh.com
Sandra (Sandy) Mary Wieland Smith, 68, of Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, passed away quietly in her home on April 19, 2021.
Sandy was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on April 13, 1953 to Wes and Louise Wieland. The second of six siblings, she was an avid country girl, helping out around the dairy farm and showing cattle in 4H. She loved attending Green Bay Packers games with her father as a young girl, and would later continue this tradition with her sisters and family. Sandy attended Brother Dutton Catholic grade school and graduated from Beloit Catholic High School in 1971.
In her adult life, Sandy attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she received a degree in Health Education. She met Jim Smith during the summer of 1977 and they were married on October 7, 1978. They enjoyed all 43 years of their marriage on Half Moon Lake. Their sons Matt and Rick were born in 1980 and 1982, respectively. Following 8 years of her self-described favorite job as a stay-at-home mom, Sandy worked as a teacher for Turtle Lake School District for 28 years.
Sandy cherished being a mother. She and Jim supported the boys in their many extracurricular activities, but most of all enjoyed teaching them to have fun on the lake. They also took many cross-country trips in their conversion van, visiting locations such as Florida, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. When her sons later married, she lovingly welcomed their wives into the family, insisting they were the daughters she never had.
What love she had for her sons was magnified when Sandy became a grandma. She lived for and doted on her four beloved grandchildren, making sure she never went more than a few weeks without seeing them and always being sure to spread her time and love between them.
Described as an "angel" by her siblings and "the nicest person I knew" by many others, Sandy was compassionate, forgiving, quick-witted, adventurous, easy-going, classy, and endlessly patient and helpful. She most enjoyed spending time with her friends and family, including frequent trips to visit her sisters, walks and lunch with local friends, and agreeing to drive the Mastercraft for anyone who wanted to get behind it. Her nieces and nephews looked forward to Aunt Sandy's summer camp every year as children. She was a lover of gardening, good food, yoga, and Packer and Badger football.
Sandy is survived by her husband Jim, sons Matt (Katie) and Rick (Krystle), four grandchildren (Wes, Annie, Genevieve and Caroline), father Wes, five siblings: Cindy (Mike), Sue, Kim, Jacque (Bill), and Mark (Kyra), many nieces and nephews, and countless other family and friends.
Sandy is preceded in death by her mother, Louise, and her brother-in-law, Rod.
The visitation will be held from 1:00-2:30pm on Saturday, April 24 at Grandstrand Funeral Home in Dresser, WI; a memorial service will follow the visitation.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Milltown Public Library, a location Sandy frequented with her grandchildren; online donations are available on their webpage at https://www.milltownpubliclibrary.org.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted with Grandstrand Funeral Homes. Condolences can be left at grandstrandfh.com.
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