Born a Storm Lake farm girl, Sandy spent her childhood jumping out of haylofts, chasing chickens, and guarding the farmstead pretending to be her radio show hero the Lone Ranger… six shooters in hand.

When her dad (Clayton) was drafted into WWII, Sandy and her mom (Marian) moved to Seattle, Washington to be near her grandparents (Clyde and Etta) to wait out the war. It was then that she developed her fondness for the sound of foghorns and all things Seattle.

After the war, the family returned to the family farm in Storm Lake, Iowa. Several bad crops forced the family to move to Hornick, Iowa where Sandy would graduate from Holly Springs High School.   She loved the small-town social scene.

After high school, she moved to Des Moines, Iowa to attend Drake University. Majoring in journalism, she discovered she had a knack for writing, but most of all, she loved her time at Drake because of the fun and mischief she had with people that would become life-long friends.

Shortly after college, she married and soon gave birth to her son, Brad, and then - 18 months later her daughter, Buffy.  She became a full-time mom and loved her role of raising her kids and keeping a beautiful home.  Years later, she had to bravely face becoming a single mom and starting over.

She would use her strong work ethic and wit with words to support her family. Her career eventually took her to KVI where she rose to Copy Editor. She created many award-winning direct mail packages and earned KVI manager of the year. She was known as. . . The Master of the Ellipsis.

In her personal life, she loved decorating. Working on a shoestring budget, she could transform a room into a modern showplace applying her favorite pallet of white and yellow.  Her passion for decorating and writing would unite when she was hired by Meredith Publishing writing marketing pieces for Better Homes & Gardens and other magazines. She loved the laughs and creativity she shared with her work family.

Sandy loved being a Grammy. Her Norwalk, Iowa home was a grandchild's paradise filled with Power Rangers, Rescue Heros, Pokémon's, Hot Wheels, Art Supplies, Video Games, and love… lots of love. Grammy daringly sported white carpet and furniture, but she proudly weathered the grandkids spilling chocolate milk and sweet & sour sauce, bearing the stains as a badge of honor. She would pilot her bright yellow station wagon to the kids' activities handing out sage advice like "You look mighty handsome in your uniform" while slipping spending money to her prides of joy. She celebrated holidays to max, going on shopping sprees at the mall where she would drape her power scooter with packages until it would tip over. She made us all feel well-loved. Later in life, she earned her final title… GREAT grandmother. And that she was… indeed.

Sandy was preceded in death by her parents, Clayton and Marian Biggins. She is survived by her children, Brad (Nancy) Kotz of Indianola, Iowa and Buffy Gratton of Elkhorn, Nebraska; five grandchildren, Jonathan Kotz (Samantha) of Castle Rock, Colorado, Joe Kotz (Autumn) of Des Moines, Nicholas Gratton of Denver, Colorado, Chad Gratton of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Paige Gratton of Lawrence, Kansas; and one great-grandchild, little Hudson Kotz.

Memorial services for Sandra Jeanne Kotz, 82, of Indianola, Iowa, who passed away Tuesday, April 16, 2024 will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, April 20 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service from 10 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial of cremains will be in the Norwalk Cemetery, Norwalk, IA. Memorials in memory of Sandy, may be given to the Good Shepherd Fund at the Village in Indianola.