- Date Of Birth: October 10, 1940
- Date Of Death: February 21, 2016
- State: Iowa
Sandra J. (Tripp) Christiansen, 75 of Algona passed away Sunday, February 21, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City surrounded by her family. Sandra was born October 10, 1940, in Kanawa, Iowa the daughter of Stanley E. and Myrna L. (Hughes) Tripp. Sandra was employed with John Deere for over 40 years.
Sandy had a lifetime dream of graduating from college. Around the age of 50 Sandy began taking college courses in addition to working full-time. She was a half-time student for ten years, graduating from Briar Cliff College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Human Resource Management. Sandy enjoyed researching her family ancestry, reading, growing plants inside and outside, working on projects at her home, and spending time with her grandchildren. She also enjoyed traveling and went on several cruises. Her favorite was the Panama Canal cruise. In her travels, she especially loved her time in Hawaii, visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial. She made two trips to Washington, DC, visiting the Vietnam Memorial when it was new and the second time when the Korean War Memorial was new. She never made it back to see the World War II Memorial, which was a dream of hers.
Years ago, Sandy read an article in the Algona paper about volunteering. She kept the article and periodically ran across it. She made a commitment to herself that when she retired, she was going to be a volunteer. She was a very dedicated volunteer, never wanting to miss her scheduled times to work at the Kossuth County Hospital and the Auxillary, the Care Team, Thanksgiving dinners at St. Cecilias, and numerous other causes. Sandra also was very active in politics and went to the Democratic State Convention as a delegate. A meaningful saying she liked was “There is less traffic on the extra mile”. Sandy always went the extra mile.
Survivors include her children: Julie and husband Steve Elbert of Sioux City, Angela (Lane) Neuman and husband Jonathan of Jacksonville, NC, and Ben Blekfeld of Chicago, IL; grandchildren: Sophia and Giovanni Kaduce, Samuel, Olivia, Sadie, Noah, and Isaac Elbert, and Faith, Grace, Levi, William, Joshua, Canaan, and Isaiah Neuman; brothers: Vance and wife Gloria Tripp of Kanawha, IA, Dennis and wife Micki Tripp of Muscatine, IA, and Dean Tripp of Ames, IA; sisters: Marcia (Tripp) Larson of Forrest City, IA, and Sheila (Tripp) Marzen of Algona, IA; a special daughter in law Karyn Fenske of Algona, IA; and numerous nieces and nephews who were all very loved. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother in law Franklin Larson. Memorials can be directed to Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City, Iowa or The Care Team in Algona, Iowa.
