Obituary for Sandra "Sandy" Wardwell

Sandra “Sandy” Wardwell of Holmen, Wis., died peacefully in her home on the morning of December 14, 2020. Sandy is survived by her husband, Richard “Dick” Wardwell of Holmen; children, Michael (Joani) Wardwell of Portland, Ore., and Lisa (Mike) Hesch of Holmen, Wis.; grandchildren, Benjamin and Anna (Lisa and Mike) and Nicholas and Jacob (Michael and Joani); and by her siblings, Ronald (Joan) Schild, Beverly (Joseph) Collingon, Bonnie Diaz, and Kathleen Laurent. Sandy was preceded in death by both of her parents, Louis and Rosina Schild and by her dear lifelong friend, Sue Eber. Sandy was born November 21, 1940, in La Crosse, Wis., to Rosina and Louis Schild. She grew up on a small tobacco and berry farm in West Salem, Wis., with her parents and four siblings. Sandy graduated from West Salem High School in 1958. She was very active throughout her school years, taking part in plays, playing the French horn in the band, and was crowned homecoming queen her senior year. She went on to attend UW-La Crosse where she earned a degree in elementary education. Sandy married Richard “Dick” Wardwell in 1962. They moved to Mauston, Wis., in 1968, where they lived for just over 20 years, raising their two children Michael and Lisa. Work life later took them to Westby, Wis., where they remained until last year, when they moved to Holmen to be near family. During their time in Westby, Sandy worked for the Viroqua Area Schools as the administrative assistant to the superintendent of schools. Retirement came just in time to begin enjoying her grandchildren, whom she loved dearly and enjoyed hosting sleepovers with at their home in the country. Sandy enjoyed many great years of playing golf and bridge with friends. She loved a good card game with anyone willing to play. Time with family and close friends was most precious to Sandy. All who knew her were constantly blessed by her beautiful smile and gentle spirit. She was so strong and brave in her will to survive, courageously battling cancer for more than 25 years. Memorial services will be at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 19, 2020, at Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Home, Woodruff Chapel, La Crosse. A visitation will be held from 12 noon until the time of service, Saturday, at the funeral home. Seating will be limited to immediate family, not to exceed 25 people. In lieu of flowers memorials in her name would be preferred to any of the following in her name, Horse Sense, Breast Cancer Research or any other charity deemed by the giver to be appropriate. Memorials may be directed to the funeral home if necessary and will be forwarded to her family. The family would like to send out a special thanks to the hospice staff from Gundersen Health System for the exceptional care they provided this past year. The hard work, love and dedication that shines through in their service is truly remarkable.