Cover photo for Sandy Otto's Obituary
Sandy Otto Profile Photo

Sandy Otto

April 30, 1968 — September 28, 2020

Sandy Otto

Sandra Kay Otto, 52, lost a valiant battle with cancer on September 28, 2020 in Maple Grove, Minnesota. She spent her final moments surrounded by love with her two sons and other family members at her bedside.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 3rd, from 10 AM to 1 PM with a Time of Remembrance at 11 AM, at the Kozlak Radulovich funeral home, in Maple Grove. To fulfill her dream to stay at the beach forever, her ashes will be spread at the Gulf of Mexico.

A graveside service will be held at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, October 17, 2020, at St. Mary's Cemetery Columbarium in Alexandria with Fr. Steven Binsfeld officiating.

Sandy was born April 30, 1968, in Alexandria, Minnesota, the fifth of seven children, six of which were daughters with a son smack in the middle (insert poor dad comment here). Raised on farms around Millerville, Minnesota, her upbringing instilled a drive to succeed and a strong work ethic to realize her goals. She graduated from Brandon High School in 1986 and went on to earn a degree in accounting. She moved to the Twin Cities in 1987 where she lived and worked in the northern suburbs for the rest of her life.

Sandy often said her proudest and greatest achievement was raising her sons, Jack and Jordan. She loved them fiercely and embraced being a “boy mom” whole-heartedly. As they grew up, Sandy’s time was filled with rides to practice for all kinds of sports, baseball tournaments, and cheering for her sons from the bleachers sidelines. She treasured every minute of it. The only grumble she ever voiced was that she wished they were more into shopping, but no one gets everything.

Sandy made it a point to fully embody her mantra to “live in the moment” each and every day. She never missed a chance to embark on a new adventure. She was a world traveler, lucky enough to have experienced Europe and Mexico, along with countless trips around the US. Her favorite trips to take were to visit her sister, Judi, in Florida. She cherished her sister’s company, but Judi’s proximity to her favorite place in the world, the beach, was the real draw. Sandy was fond of, nay, was obsessed with the beach. She enjoyed every facet of the experience: the heat, the surf, the salt water. All of it (like they say, “it is always Sandy on the beach…”). She could stay for hours on end, day after day, and was fortunate enough to take every opportunity to do so. She would often point out her dream spots along the coast. She dreamed of the beautiful beaches where she wanted to wake up to every morning and listen to the waves crash along the shore while she drank coffee and read a good book.

If you ever needed someone to joke around with, Sandy was the greatest audience. She had an infectious laugh that could fill up a room once you really got her rolling. She could make anyone feel like they were starring in a stand-up comedy special. She was fluent in sarcasm and quick wit. She never missed an opportunity to give people a hard time with playful banter or to become part of an inside joke. She could dish it out as well as she could take it. The most hilarious Otto family stories almost always feature good ol’ Tootsie Kay somewhere in the mix.

She is survived by her two sons, Jack and Jordan Sedlezky; her former husband, Darren Sedlezky; her parents, Walter and Gloria (Downing) Otto (Brandon, MN); her sisters, Diane (Paul) Murphy (Champlain, MN), Shirley Otto (Alexandria, MN), Judi Johnson (Panama City, FL), Nancy (Jim) Diers (Maple Grove, MN), Eileen (Dale) Yungbauer (Bertha, MN); brother, Ron (Sue) Otto (Denver, CO);  20 nieces and nephews; 11 great-nieces and great-nephews; countless aunts, uncles, and cousins; close friend, Rich.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Nick and Frances Otto and Louie and Marion Downing; aunt Sharon Teal; uncle Ray Ronning; and cousin Roxanne Swanberg.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Sandy’s memory to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Sandy Otto, please visit our flower store.

Past Services

Graveside Service

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Starts at 12:30 pm (Central time)

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery

723 W Winona Rd SW, Alexandria, MN 56308

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