Sandra Marie Feindel

Sandra "Sandy" Marie Feindel, 65, of Gardner, Kansas, passed away on Monday, August 21, 2023. She was born on October 11, 1957 in Wichita, Kansas to Maurice and Juanita (Paxson) Littchum.

Sandy grew up in Wichita, KS, graduating from Wichita West High School in 1975. The highlight of Sandy's high school career was her membership in the Hilarks Women's Chorale. They competed in many competitions and often earned top marks in the judging ranks. While attending West High School, Sandy met Alan Seifert. They married in Argonia, KS on October 24, 1975, a few months after graduation. They then made their home in the Bluff City, KS area. Alan worked as a farmer and Sandy worked as a CNA at the hospital in Anthony, KS. During wheat harvest, Sandy could be found hauling the wheat to the grain elevator. Sandy was always surrounded by a family of farmers. One day, while helping her Uncle Beryl with wheat harvest, Sandy accidentally dumped a whole grain truck of freshly cut wheat on the ground en route to the grain elevator. It took her a while to live that one down.

On December 12, 1984, Sandy and Alan welcomed a son, Dusty Joe, into the world. Leading up to his birth, Sandy walked two miles a day, rain or shine, with her mother-in-law, Imogene, in hopes that the exercise would quicken and ease the delivery process. It apparently worked because Sandy delivered Dusty in about six hours.

In 1994, Sandy met and married Michael Feindel. They met in February and married on April 16 after meeting in person only four times. There was never a doubt among either of them that the other one was the right person for them. Michael (Mike) never officially proposed, however; marriage was simply a mutually agreed-on discussion during one of their in-person dates. Sandy liked to tease Mike about the fact that he never proposed to her, so Mike would frequently get down on one knee and ask Sandy to marry him throughout their marriage. She often said "yes" before he got the question out.

Sandy and Mike's marriage was met with adversity from the start, but their faith and trust in God and commitment to each other saw them through every hardship, from difficult diagnoses to tragic accidents. Sandy's positivity, trust in God, and persistent optimism was a strength to her family during these times.

On December 12, 1999--Dusty's fifteenth birthday--Mike and Sandy welcomed a beautiful daughter, Eleora Michaela Feindel, into the world. Keeping up with tradition, Sandy faithfully walked every day of her pregnancy in order to ease the delivery process. Sandy's labor with Eleora (Ellie) was even shorter than Dusty's, delivering her baby girl in roughly half the time as her firstborn!

Sandy had a servant's heart, always putting others before herself and helping others in any way she could, from cleaning houses to caring for the sick and the elderly. Her greatest pride was her family, especially her children and grandchildren. Sandy was an adoring wife; a selfless, loving mother; and a beloved, doting grandmother. For pleasure, Sandy enjoyed cooking, singing, embroidery, and gardening. She was famous for her beautiful, soprano voice and for her iced tea.

A hallmark of Sandy's strength was the resilient faith and grace with which she battled two different cancer diagnoses. In 2009, Sandy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After two years, she was able to ring the bell to declare that she had beaten it. In August of 2022, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Over the course of a year, the cancer metastasized to other parts of her body, including her liver. Despite these battles, Sandy's focus was on the needs and concerns of others. Her own needs always came last.

Throughout her life, Sandy was always mystified by her father's silent past. Driven by curiosity, Sandy took a DNA test hoping to find answers. In May 2022, Sandy discovered paternal cousins through connections made from the DNA results. She enjoyed learning about her family history and discovering answers to long-held questions. She was surprised to learn that her father's birth name was Rosendo Carabajal, born to Damian Carabajal and Adonelia DeHerrera. Damian and Adonelia had eight children, two of whom died in infancy. The six surviving children were Rosendo, Sandy's father and the oldest of the children; Clarita; Gilberto; Felipe; Maximillano; and Leonardo. Damian and Adonelia also had two adopted children, Teresita and Lorenzo. Sandy was thrilled to connect with her cousins Gennie and Carmen to hear stories of her father's family. It was a great gift to finally have answers.

Sandy is survived by her loving husband, Michael Feindel of Gardner, KS; her two children, Dusty Seifert (and wife Laura) of Edgerton, KS and Eleora Feindel of Gardner, KS; and her two grandchildren, Marcus Norris of Buffalo, MO and Catherine Seifert of Edgerton, KS.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Juanita and Maurice Littchum (Rosendo Carabajal), and her brother, Steven Littchum.

The family will receive guests for a visitation at 10:00am on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at The Truth Church, in Olathe with the funeral service following at 11:00am. Burial will be at Gardner Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following causes:
Truth Church of Olathe, KS designating the donation to A2Z Missions
Olathe Health Cancer Center
Olathe Health Hospice House

Sandy's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Click here to view the service.




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