Sandra Jean Butler Kuester December 7, 1946 - September 4, 2022

Sandra Jean Butler Kuester, 75, passed away in the early morning hours of September 4, 2022, after battling cancer for several months. Sandra was born in Payson, Utah on December 7, 1946, to Thomas and Aroha Butler as the youngest of four children.

Sandra grew up in Spring Lake, Utah, and attended the old Spring Lake School on the hill above the lake. She later attended and graduated from Payson High School in 1965. She would periodically remind us that while she was a student at Spring Lake School, one of her favorite winter activities was sledding down the hill, across the road, and out onto the frozen lake. It sounded amazing.

Sandra married Frederick Kuester on December 3, 1965. They soon moved to Grantsville where she worked at the Tooele Army Depot loading ammunition belts into ammo boxes. They would later move to Kearns. After Sandra and Fred were divorced, Sandra moved back to Spring Lake where she would remain for the rest of her life. Over the years she had jobs at Jolene’s Clothing as an administrative assistant, Nature’s Sunshine in production, and Burrelle’s as a media transcriptionist.

Sandra had two sons, Rick and Jared, whom she loved very much. Raising them as a single mother came with challenges, but she succeeded in this remarkably. She would typically leave for work at 4am so she could be home with her kids after school to play with them, help with homework, and make dinner. Money was tight, but she always made sure needs were met.

She had an amazing sense of humor that brought joy and laughter into our home. She had a quick wit and was a master at dry, subtle humor, which she highlighted with a sideways glance and a wry smile if you were paying attention. Of course, she was also gifted at not mincing words, which was also often hilarious. Despite being sick and weak, and having a limited ability to speak over the past month while on hospice, she still found ways to make us laugh. These moments are an absolute treasure and illustrate just how giving she truly was.

Sandra loved sports and was very competitive. She enjoyed telling stories about playing baseball with friends during her teenage years, or playing “roll the bat” in the street in front of her house. She was an avid golfer when she was younger and played as recently as a few months ago despite some limitations. She also enjoyed bowling and was known to be in a league or two once upon a time. She loved BYU athletics and attended games whenever the opportunity presented itself. It seems fitting that she stayed around long enough to listen to one more BYU football game on TV and hear the final score before she slipped away.

She had a variety of talents and hobbies that she enjoyed over the years. She was active and enjoyed going on walks or long bike rides with her kids, which often led to interesting adventures or conversations that would get brought up again and again over the years. She was talented at sewing and would spend countless hours making our Halloween costumes each year when we were little. She also loved to read and was drawn to fantasy or thriller novels. Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child were some of her absolute favorites.

Sandra was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and held many callings over the years. Regardless of what she was asked to do, she always gave it her best, which was often above and beyond what was necessary. We can remember her organizing road shows, teaching Sunday School classes, and leading music, which she loved to do. She was a great example of faith, humility, and especially charity.

She is survived by her brother, Carl (Carol) Butler of West Mountain; her sister Diane (Clark) Worwood of West Jordan; her sister Karen (Ted) Myrick of Cedar City; and her children: Rick (Jennifer) Kuester of Provo; and Jared (Holly) Kuester of Santaquin. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Ausha, Robin, Eric, Alex, Rebecca, Mikayla, Macin, Aydin, Kalin, Jaxin, and Kirstyn; and two great-grandchildren: Lillian and Eleanor. She was preceded in death by her parents, Aroha and Thomas Butler, and her granddaughter Samantha.

Our family would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Marc Nuttall for his efforts over the past couple years as she fought cancer; iCare hospice; and the owner, staff, and residents at Seasons of Santaquin care center, who did a remarkable job befriending and caring for mom over the past few weeks. Because of you she was able to enjoy companionship and many special moments that she may not have had otherwise. Thank you.

Funeral services will be held at 11am on Friday, September 9, 2022, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 12625 S Spring Lake Rd, Payson, Utah. A viewing will be held on Thursday, September 8, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 587 South 100 West, Payson, Utah, and on Friday morning from 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment will be at Santaquin City Cemetery.