SANDRA H. JOHNSON Indianola Services for Sandra H. Johnson, 78, who passed away Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at home, will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, April 20 at the First United Methodist Church in Indianola with burial following in the Indianola I.O.O.F. Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Sandy was born April 30, 1934, to Bruce and Verba Harriott. She graduated from Churdan High School then went on to Simpson College to get her teaching degree. After teaching a few years in Des Moines and following a divorce, she and her daughters moved to Indianola so she could complete her bachelor's degree. Upon completion of her degree, she was immediately hired by the Indianola School District where she taught until she retired in 1998. Sandy touched so many young lives in her 39 years of teaching second grade. She spent the last 30 years in Indianola. She was honored for her impact on young lives by inspiring some of her students to go on to become teachers themselves. She has been told on numerous occasions that "you are the reason I became a teacher." In her "spare" time, she worked as a 911 dispatcher for Warren County for 24 years. Mom would always say that she went to school and then went to work. One of her proudest accomplishments was raising two daughters as a single parent. Sandy will be remembered for so many things. Far too many to mention here, but her family will certainly miss her cooking and baking. For all of our family get-togethers, we always had to have her strawberry salad. Her sugar cookies and bran muffins were legendary at holidays. One of Sandy's favorite volunteer duties was to volunteer in her grandkid's classrooms from 1st grade through 5th grade. Starting with her oldest grandson Nick through her youngest granddaughter Jenna, Sandy volunteered from 1998 - 2012. Sandy's pride and joy were her grandkids. She lived for them and in return, they fulfilled her. If one of Sandy's grandkids was in a sporting event, you could always find her on the sidelines cheering them on. As her grandsons got older and competed in cross country and track in high school and in college, she would encourage them to "run like the wind." She was their biggest supporter and cheerleader. Rain or shine, hot or cold, Grandma Sandy was there. She was obsessed about not missing any of their events and she didn't miss many. Mom was our glue, our rock, our sounding board and our advisor. She was our cheerleader and our life coach. She encouraged us to dream and don't look back. She showed us that we have the power to choose but be responsible for our choices. Mom's friend network was huge. A great testament to the kind of friend she was. When we needed help these last few months, Mom's friends were there for her and for us. Mom belonged to PEO, Delta Kappa Gamma, DMARSPA, bridge (same group since 1970),Tuesday lunch/coffee group, Bunko, Red Hats, Hawthorne Lunch Bunch, she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and she had regular lunch dates with her Churdan High School friends. Mom was always on the go. After retirement we would often tell Mom that she was busier than she was when she was working. She loved her friends and they loved her in return. We would not have made it through Mom's illness without her friends and to them we are eternally grateful. Although we only received their help for a very short time, we would like to thank the Iowa Hospice care team who shared their talents and their time with our Mom. Their care, their words and their actions helped us get through the most difficult time in our lives. Sandy is survived by her daughters, Cindy (Deb Lee-Johnson) Johnson and Deanna (Brad) Schulze; her grandchildren who were her pride and joy, Nick, Jordan, Katelyn Schulze and Jenna Lee-Johnson; sisters, Lynn Bissell from Longmont, CO, and Kathy Jensen from Iowa City; niece, Cortney Jensen; nephews, JB Bissell and Chris Jensen; many cousins, great nieces and great nephews and many, many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Bruce and Verba Harriott. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday, April 19 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola where family will be present to greet friends from 5 to 8 p.m. and a P.E.O. service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Memorials my be given to the family in Sandra's name for a memorial to be decided at a later date. Online condolences may be made at www.overtonfunerals.com.