Russ was born on July 27, 1937, in Sandoval, IL, the son of Adrian and Gudruda Sandy. He was saved and then baptized at Sandoval Baptist Church on March 27, 1955. He then graduated from Sandoval High School that May. In November, he was married to Donna Sechrest of Salem, IL. They later divorced. Russ worked several jobs throughout his lifetime, but his main career was institutional food sales. If you were to ask him what his most rewarding job was, he would tell you it was being a paraeducator at an elementary school until he officially retired. On July 5, 1987, Russ was united in marriage to Diana Flack, in Kansas City, MO. The couple made their home in Olathe, KS, prior to moving to Mount Pleasant in 2014. While in Olathe, Russ was extremely active in their church, having also served as an ordained deacon in prior churches. Russ had three things that he absolutely loved: serving the Lord, his family, and working with his hands. His hobbies included wood carving, leather work, and stained glass. He could always be found finding something to fix or tinker with. Russ attended Calvary Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant.
Russ is survived by his wife Diana; four children Mark Sandy of Lee’s Summit, MO; Lisa (Jerry) Toops of Wayland, MO; Scott (Karen) Colstrom of Osage City, KS; Todd (Suzanne) Colstrom of Gardner, KS; grandchildren John (Nadia) Sandy, Jason (Ashlee) Sandy, Brian Sandy, Brandi (Cody) Kreisel, Brittany (Joseph) Nigro, Tanner (Ashlee) Toops, Tara Toops, Tucker Toops, Megan (Andrew Zeserman) Colstrom, Max Colstrom, Ava Colstrom; great grandchildren John, Daniela, Kaylee, Wyatt, Jacob, Mikaela, Colton, Easton, Clara; great great grandchildren Charlotte, Elliot; sisters-in-law Charlene Woods, Elaine Woods, Ramona Sandy, Susan (Stephan) Eiermann, Paula (Bruce) Doyle, and brother-in-law Jim Delehanty.
He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings Wilma Jean (Stan) Leith, Jim Woods, Raymond Woods, Phil Sandy, Bev Wiseman, Jolynne Harling; and sister-in-law Ann Delehanty.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staffs of the Hospice House and SE Iowa Regional Medical Center for the excellent care of Russ and the family.
The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Calvary Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 12:00 p.m. until the time of service. Burial will be in the Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a memorial contribution to the Alzheimer’s Association – Iowa Chapter. The Olson-Yoder Funeral Home & Crematory is caring for Russ and his family. Condolences may be left for the family at www.olsonyoderfh.com