Obituary: Sandra Lee Heller

Sandra Lee Heller, 86, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, passed away following a brief illness, surrounded  by her family, on April 3, 2026, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, Iowa.  Sandra was born December 26, 1939, at 2 a.m., missing Christmas Day by two hours, but she  always celebrated her birthday with her father, who was born on December 25. She was the daughter of  Edward Albert Shoenrock and Clara Leona Myers Shoenrock. She grew up on a farm outside of Fairbury,  Nebraska, with three brothers, who lovingly referred to her as "Sis."  

She attended elementary school in two different one-room schoolhouses in Jefferson County,  Nebraska: District 100 (grades 1-7) and District 8 (grade 8). She later attended Fairbury High School, where she was a member of the marching band, and graduated in May 1957. She was united in marriage to Marvin Otto Heller on August 25, 1957, at Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church at Gladstone near Fairbury, Nebraska. To this union two children were born, a daughter, Kellie, and a son, Matthew.  

Sandra worked at various secretarial positions, beginning at a law firm in Hebron, Nebraska, and then at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, eventually retiring from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls in 2004 after 22 years in the Geography Department.  

Sandra was active in her church, Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church, and P.E.O. She volunteered at local events, such as the Back to School Project and the UNI Museum. She loved making  quilts for Lutheran World Relief, and she knitted countless prayer shawls for the church and scarves for  children in need. She was a steadfast UNI fan and season ticket holder for the football, volleyball, and  basketball teams for many years– you would often see her wearing purple and gold.  

She enjoyed traveling with Marvin and Kellie, visiting Europe, England, Ireland, Alaska, and destinations across the continental United States. She loved her family deeply and cherished time spent with her granddaughters and great-grandchildren, attending many of their sporting events and activities 

over the years. Above all, she loved the Lord. Sandra and Marvin's strong Christian faith was the foundation of their marriage and was passed on to her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She will always be remembered for her faith, her love of her family, her service to others, her  generosity, her chocolate chip cookies, and wonderful sense of humor. She loved joking with the great  grandkids and keeping her son-in-law on his toes. She was cracking jokes until her last day.  She is survived by her daughter, Kellie (David) Smith; granddaughters, Mallory Swenson, Leah  (Alex) Crouse, and Johanna (Ryan) Berkey; seven great-grandchildren, Rylan and Thayer Swenson,  Marie and Celia Crouse, and Claire, Grace, and Paige Berkey; brother, Roger (Judy) Schoenrock; sisters in-law, Jean Schmutte and Adella Schmidt; nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her  husband, Marvin, her parents, son, Matthew Lee, and brothers, Gailon and Gary Schoenrock.  Funeral services will be held 11 a.m., today, April 9, 2026, at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cedar  Falls. Livestream of the service is available at https://www.naz.org/. Click "Watch Live." Lunch and  fellowship will be immediately following. A private burial with the family will be held at Fairview Cemetery  in Cedar Falls.  

In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests donations be made to Wings of Refuge, 503 Duff Avenue, Ames, IA 50010, or the Job Foundation, 4600 University Avenue, Cedar Falls, IA 50613, in Sandra's name. Online condolences at www.richardsonfuneralservice.com.