Sandra Kelley

Sandra “Sandy” Kelley, age 80, of Albion, Iowa, and for those lucky enough to call her “Bank,” passed away peacefully on the evening of February 22, 2025 at Westbrook Acres in Gladbrook, Iowa.

A graveside service for Sandy will be held on Friday, February 28, 2025 beginning at 11:30 A.M. at the Albion Cemetery with Harlan Nuss officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Sandy’s name may be directed to her family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Sandra Jo Swearingen was born October 5, 1944 in Astoria, Oregon. She was the daughter of Jack Swearingen and Marjorie Tenney (Eggers). At a young age, she and her family moved to Iowa and Sandy attended school at LDF graduating with the class of 1962.

Out of high school, she began working for Fidelity Bank. She raised her two children Randy and Tari Carkhuff. On October 14, 1984, she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Michael Kelley at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They combined their families and took up a permanent home in Albion. Sandy went to work for Wells Fargo working as a book keeper and she remained with the company until her retirement in the mid 1990’s. She enjoyed her time of retirement and made many memories alongside her family and Mike until the time of his passing in September 2005.

In her free time, Sandy loved to play board games and card games with family and friends. There were many summers spent camping at Lake Rathbun, and loved to plan yearly trips to Las Vegas to go see NASCAR races. Everyone who was lucky to know her would say she was the nicest person never knowing a stranger. With her family, they could always look forward to the holidays where they would be able to help make all the Christmas cookies and candies. Sandy was also a natural caregiver, meaning that she would always go out of the way to help others and do what she could to make someone’s life just a little bit easier. In addition to this she was able to care for her family members as she was able.

Those left to remember and cherish her family are her children, Randy (Kenna) Carkhuff, Kristy Kelley, Todd (Angi) Kelley, Troy Kelley, Don (Melissa) Kelley and Tim (Jody) Kelley; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and her brother Tom Swearingen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Kelley; her daughter, Tari Carkhuff; and her parents, Jack Swearingen and Marjorie Tenney.