Sandra Geyer Youman

The world lost a special spark last Friday when Sandy Youman passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones from unexpected complications following surgery.

Sandy/Mom/Lita/Tita touched countless lives in her 78 years. She was happiest when she was helping people and creating connections. An eternal optimist whose joy was contagious, she saw the best in everyone and every situation. A lifetime learner, she traveled, worked and cultivated friendships across states and continents. She always said, “I love to learn from my grandchildren” and was one hip grandma. Her vast goodwill was summed up in “family is what it’s all about.”

Family began when her parents Anne and Dick Geyer welcomed Sandra Anne during wartime in Newport, RI, on April 25, 1943. After the war, they moved to Houston where Sandy attended The Kincaid School and Lamar High School and later received a BA in French from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. She married J. Dudley Youman, MD on June 26, 1965, and has been his beloved for 56 years, beginning with his medical residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. They made their home in Austin in 1971, where both have been active in the medical community.

The fortunate ones to call her “Mom” are Becky Youman of Seattle, Rick Youman of Austin and Mark Youman of Reston, VA—plus their spouses Bryan Estep, Kate Youman and Kerstin Youman. From those three families, Sandy was “L/Tita” to Sierra Estep, Haley and Hannah Youman, Carson and Kincaid Youman, and Carson’s fiancé Claire Goodman. Sandy was very close to her brother, Rick Geyer of Austin, his wife Ginger and Dudley’s sister Lucy Conger, Sandy’s self-described “sisters-in-love.” Four lucky people called her Aunt Sandy: Chris Conger, Catherine Vanwinterswky, Adam Geyer and Larkin Yanulis. She was “consuegra” to Eden Box, and actively engaged in the lives of several extended family members. Sandy had a contact list of friends that ranged worldwide, and she managed to bring sunshine to all of them.

An early adaptor of iPhone technology, Sandy transitioned from sending letters in almost illegible handwriting to sending texts with hilarious autocorrects—all providing hours of entertainment for her family and friends. She entirely lacked “the self-consciousness gene” and was totally genuine, open and curious in all her interactions, whether she was talking to someone like Nancy Pelosi or chatting up a store clerk, who often became a fast friend. She once famously asked Robin Williams what he did for a living.

She drank red wine with an ice cube, loved a tart margarita, and cooked a wicked beef Wellington. She spent three weeks every year dousing a homemade fruit cake with brandy for Dudley’s birthday cake. She loved bringing friends and family together and basking in the glory of nature at the family ranch in Star, TX.

Sandy didn’t bat an eye at the menagerie of animals that her children brought home when they were young, including dogs, turtles, snakes, hamsters, mice, a baby armadillo, a young hawk, a catfish and a rescued parrot that lived with Dudley and her for the next 37 years.

She was the driving force behind Cousin Camp—an annual vacation where she and Pop showed their grandchildren the world and graciously allowed their kids and their spouses to tag along. Destinations included Alaska, Costa Rica, Roatan, Hawaii, and St. Croix, where she sunk the winning basket to take the cousin Olympics.

Organizations that benefited from her boundless energy include Austin PBS—KLRU TV, where she worked for 25 years as Director of Major Gifts and also organized events for Austin City Limits and trips for benefactors. She continued to volunteer at KLRU TV up to her passing. Other groups included Cowpokes for Kids in Mills County, where she hosted an annual trail ride; Dell Children’s Medical Center where an endowment fund was established in her name; Austin Garden Club; Laguna Gloria Art Museum where she helped found the Art School; Casis, O. Henry and Austin High schools; the UT School of Architecture; Junior League of Austin; Covenant Presbyterian Church where she served as deacon and teacher, First Methodist Church in Star, TX; Communities for Recovery; the LBJ Library, and many more.

Covenant Presbyterian, her church home for over 50 years, will host a memorial service on Friday, March 4 at 2pm with eulogy by her longtime best friend, Luci Baines Johnson. Internment of ashes will be under a special tree on her beloved ranch in Star, TX.

As Sandy would revel in continued growth of funds that she helped establish, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Sandy’s name be directed to the Sandra Geyer Youman Endowment Fund at Dell Children’s Medical Center [supportdellchildrens.org] or to Austin PBS [austinpbs.org].

As inactivity was never a part of Sandy’s life, we are assured that she now rests well, a unique, good and faithful servant.