Sandra "Sandy" Jean Carlson

Sandra Jean Carlson passed away at home in Columbia, Missouri, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the age of 90. She was born on March 8, 1936, in Los Angeles, California, to Omar and Wilma (Raddon) Johnson. She spent her childhood in Southern California among cousins and family and always enjoyed the Beach House and her beloved aunts on Balboa Peninsula.

Sandy, as she was known to everyone, attended the University of Redlands, where she met her husband, Richard Frederick Carlson, through the ministry of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. They married on September 7, 1957. She graduated with an elementary education degree from the University of Minnesota, and taught kindergarten until her first daughter was born.

Sandy devoted her life to her children, friends and making her home a beautiful, peaceful, and safe place for anyone. She served countless numbers of people who came through Redlands, and then later Columbia, with lovingly-prepared food and generous hospitality. She was a trusted confidant to many people as she attentively listened, welcomed, remembered, and cared for others. A kinder, more compassionate person is hard to imagine.

She centered her life on knowing Jesus and making Him known, filling her Bible with prayer notes and things she wanted to remember. Tears were often in her eyes when she prayed for people. Even though she was diminutive in stature, her spirit and smile filled every room that she entered. Sandy attended Bethany Reformed Church and First Baptist Church in Redlands, and Memorial Baptist Church in Columbia.

Sandy and Dick focused much of their attention and resources on bringing family together and creating lifetime memories -- camping trips up and down the state of California to deserts, beaches, Big Sur, and the Sierras; family week at Campus by the Sea; summer weeks at the Beach House; many trips to Switzerland, England, and Germany; family reunions on Lake Michigan and the YMCA of the Rockies; and many Christmases and Thanksgivings together after the family was spread across the country.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved oldest daughter, Karen Jean Carlson Muyskens. She is survived by her husband, Richard "Dick" Carlson of Columbia, MO, her children Kristin (Bradley) Eiffert, Keith (Rosalyn) Carlson, and Mark (Jodi Cole) Muyskens; and her grandchildren John (Gabrielle) Muyskens, Carolyn Muyskens, Joel (Haleigh) Muyskens, Ryan Eiffert, William (Bianca) Eiffert, Benjamin Eiffert, Katherine Carlson, Andrew Carlson, and Claire Carlson; and her brother, Omar (Maryann) Johnson

Services will be held at Memorial Baptist Church in Columbia on Friday, August 21 at 10:00 am, followed by lunch at the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship or Memorial Baptist Church.