Sandra Lee Kaiser

1945-2025

It's with heavy and sad hearts we advise the merciful passing of Sandy Kaiser in the late afternoon of Friday, July 4, 2025. When she passed, Sandy had been a patient in the Dartmouth General since May 31, 2025. It's just been 2 years since she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and it's related dementia. During these past 2 years Sandy's disease has ravaged both her body and her mind. She wasn't able to communicate with us any of the time in the hospital.

Sandy was the daughter of the late Harry and Jessie (Rose) Bensted of Dartmouth. Sandy was also predeceased by her brother and sister in-law Donald Kaiser (Anne Jollimore) Kaiser (both in a car accident), She was also predeceased by her brother in-law Murray (Heather) Kaiser.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years, David Kaiser of Dartmouth. Sandy's 2 sons survive her as well, They are Scott Kaiser (Hayley Porter) Halifax and Steven Kaiser (Gloria Peterson) Dartmouth, Sandy's brother Frank (Wendy) Bensted lives in Dartmouth and her sister Judy (Bensted) Gill (Glen) live in Cole Harbour. Sandy has 3 sisters-in-law who all live in Halifax. They are Grace (Kaiser) Gibson (David), Eileen Kaiser and Heather Ingram-Kaiser.

In Sandy's role as a nurse, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother and a great grandmother she had many people to spoil- 4 grandchildren, 1 special great grandson Jaydan Joseph Peterson-Kaiser and of course there are many nieces, nephews, and many, many cousins.

Sandy grew up on Windmill Road in Dartmouth near the MacDonald Bridge. She went to Park Elementary School, then Bicentennial Junior High the year that it opened and then again to Dartmouth High School the year that it opened. Sandy also graduated from Halifax Vocational School with a secretarial course and worked in an office in downtown Halifax. In 1963 Sandy turned 18 and was then old enough to enter into the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing in the class of 66B. When Sandy graduated in 1966 she went to work for a number of years in general wards at the VGH. In approximately 1969 Sandy transferred to the newly established Nephrology unit under the direction of Dr. Allan J. MacLeod. In early 1972 we started our family, so Sandy decided she would put her career on hold until our youngest son Steven started school in the fall of 1978. Sandy accepted a full time position in Nephrology, as a dialysis nurse at the IWK Children's Hospital. The Nephrology unit at the IWK was operated as a "purchase service" from the VGH, so Sandy's nursing career was renewed at the VGH. Her career continued while performing in-hospital dialysis nursing. Sandy also trained patients and their families so the patients could do their dialysis in their own home. This program saved a lot of time and travel, especially if the patient lived out of town. This home dialysis program required Sandy to make visits to the patient's home, to make sure the patient's treatments were being done properly. Sandy's career continued until she retired in 2001.

Shortly after she retired, Sandy took a part time position with Fresenius Medical Care (Dialysis Equipment Company) training Dialysis Nurses across Canada. Sandy worked closely with the Fresenius salesmen, as she would train the nurses in units where Fresenius Dialysis Equipment was purchased. She had the opportunity to work training nurses in dialysis units across Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia, including stops in northern Manitoba and Alberta. Sandy retired completely in 2006.

During her career, Sandy achieved the Canadian Nurses Association certification in Nephrology Nursing. She achieved her certification for three 5 year periods from 1995 to 2010.

In April 2001 Sandy was recognized and presented with a Certificate to acknowledge 25 years of dedicated service to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre.

As a family we had the great opportunity to camp at the Ovens Natural Park for 15 happy years while Scott and Steven grew up there each summer. Lots of swimming and campfires with good friends, the park staff and owners. In later years we added more family memories at the Bensted family cottage, "Resthaven" on Sea Grove Lane in Tidnish Cumberland County.

Cremation has taken place. A private family burial will take place in the future.