SanDee Holderness

SanDee, age 82, was born in Chicago, IL to Mildred and Alexander Haluska. She had an older brother, Paul. Her family moved back to the Omaha area when she was very young. She was raised Catholic, and after attending Good Shepherd Home, wanted to be a nun. After graduation, she instead chose to move to CA and experience the west coast. She lived with her aunt for some time, then chose to move back to Omaha. She was married twice and had 3 children, Marcy, Michael, and Nicholas. She was overjoyed to be a grandma for the first time and even wrote a special poem for her unborn grandchild. She was gifted with writing verses and often was asked to write for friends and family.

She was a lover of animals, often talking about her childhood dog Freddie or rabbit, Twinkles. She had many dogs throughout the years, Binky, Charlie, Zeppy, Mandy, Freddy, Scrappy, and Biscuit. She even nick-named the wild life in the back yard—“Big Red” the cardinal, and his wife, “Mrs. Red,” and every bunny was named “Twinkles.”

SanDee was a hard worker, getting nearly every job she ever applied for. She loved her job as a secretary at Vocational Rehabilitation, helping the counselors help people with disabilities find employment. She retired at age 65 and occasionally worked part-time clerical jobs for extra spending money. She was an excellent typist and could type faster than she could drive. Hahaha

Although she didn’t have a lot of hobbies, she sure loved to gamble. Her and Russ often attended Aksarben horse races, went to Vegas several times, and she loved to play Keno. Her favorite #s: 2, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20, 23, 42, 44, 65, 69, 78. She had 3 spots, 6 spots, and age spots…hahaha.

She loved her family with all her heart. Although some years were harder than others, she always gave all of herself for family. She had many good friends and was a good friend to many! She was in AA for many years and helped many people with their sobriety. It was her calling and passion to help people. Time spent with grandchildren was her favorite pastime. She so appreciated the time they took to keep in touch and loved every one of them!

SanDee caught Covid in January 2022, which almost took her life. But, she was a fighter! After Russ’ death in November 2022, she moved in with Marcy & Mark. She enjoyed playing Scrabble, although she would never try too hard to get the extra points. She didn’t complain too much about Marcy’s vegetarian foods, but once in a while would say “I need a piece of meat!” She loved watching the wildlife from the kitchen window--deer, turkey’s, coyotes, hummingbirds, and would remind Marcy when the bird feeder needed filling.

Survived daughter & son-in-law, Marcy & Mark Stayer;

son, Mike; grandchildren, Amanda, Elizabeth, Justin,

Christina, Patrick, Jordan, Nicholas, Michael, Camden, &

Christopher; great-grandchildren, Daniel, Paisleigh, &

Chloe.

Preceded in death by: husband Russell and son Nicholas

Those of us who loved her look forward to seeing her again one day because of our faith in Christ Jesus!

A Vigil Service will be held at Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home, located at 5701 Center St, Omaha, Nebraska, 68106, on November 16, 2025, starting at 4:00 pm.

The Funeral Service will take place at the same venue on November 17, 2025, beginning at 10:00 am.