Sandra Irene Smith, age 84, of Preston, IA, passed away at Fieldstone of DeWitt on October 16, 2024. A funeral service will be held Saturday, October 26 at 11 a.m., at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Preston. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., prior to the service. A private burial will be held at a later date.
Sandra was born March 29, 1940, in Maquoketa, the daughter of Clarence and Helen (Ralston) Regenwether. She attended Maquoketa schools, graduating with the class of 1958.
On May 26, 1958, one day prior to her High School graduation, Sandra married Donald Smith. She moved to their marital home in Preston, right next to her new in-laws’ house. This might be a daunting thought to some, but Sandra knew that family was going to be the center of her life. The following year Sandra and Don were graced with the first of three children, and thus began Sandra’s life as a mother, and later grandmother and great grandmother. She worked a bit as a babysitter, and for the local grocery store and restaurant, but mostly, her days were spent tending to the home and her children.
Life with her children was filled with hay rack rides and sleigh rides, gardening and canning (including her famous cinnamon pickles), camping, and lots of singing and dancing. Donald would play guitar while his uncle accompanied him on his banjo. They grew and maintained close relationships with family and several other couples and their respective children, cultivating a loving social circle. Sundays were spent at grandma’s house with family, fun and good food.
Sandra and Donald were lifelong members of the Preston United Methodist Church. In 2011, she lost her beloved Donald, but the family they created, that now includes many grandchildren and great grandchildren served as an enduring beacon of love and pride, of which she could cling, through her final years.
Sandra will be dearly missed by her three children, Dena Burmahl, of Preston, Tom (Pam) Smith, of Bettendorf, and Vicki (Kevin) Becker, of DeWitt; seven grandchildren, Dane (Lauren) Johnson, David (Sarah) Johnson, Justin (Krysta) Smith, Cody Smith, Landon (Jaime) Becker, Shawna (Jared) Spann, and Tasha Becker; 13 great-grandchildren, Kallen, Brylee, Danica, Jack, Lyvia, Cayson, Maci, Rylan, Hope, Brady, Karson, Addison, Ryder, and one more on the way; sister, Mary Jo Crouch; and sister-in-law, Charlene Regenwether. Sandra is preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Helen; husband of more than 53 years, Donald; brother, Mike Regenwether; sister, Anna Mae Jackson; grandson, Kandon Becker; son-in-law, Tom Burmahl; and brothers-in-law, Ennis Crouch and Don Jackson.
