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Sandra S. Fiala, 63, of Moorland, passed away Wednesday, July 15, 2025, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.
There will be a visitation on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Laufersweiler Funeral Home. Private family services are planned with a burial at Elkhorn Township.
Sandra Sue Clyde was born December 1, 1962, in Mitchell, South Dakota, to parents Malford and Diana Clyde. She continued to grow up in Mitchell and graduated from Mitchell High School in the spring of 1981. She then went on to attend South Dakota State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. In 1987, Fort Dodge Laboratories were recruiting interns and it turned into a 30-year career of passionately studying many different animal diseases as well as developing and testing many different veterinary vaccines. Her work ranged from household pets to working with large cattle and swine operations.
Shortly after moving to Fort Dodge, she met a farmer named Ted Fiala while on a night out with some friends in 1989. They quickly fell in love and were united in marriage August 17, 1991. Sandy and Ted made their home on an acreage one mile south of Moorland. They raised two children, Branden and Hannah, and have remained in the same home ever since.
Everything that Sandy did was with full effort and was done very meticulously. After her career at the Labs came to an end, Sandy continued to help to care for her mother and father-in-law and made many trips back to Mitchell to help her parents as well. She was always very active at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and very deeply rooted in her faith. She hosted many large meals for holidays, supported farming by making meals and giving rides during the spring and fall, and spent a lot of time collecting and digitizing information on family history, but the job she enjoyed the most was when she became a grandma. She quickly seized the opportunity by offering to babysit each of her grandchildren during the week for the first years of their lives. She was always playing with them around the farm, in the house or at local parks, reading books to them, or snuggling in a recliner for a nap, and of course spoiling them with new toys, clothes and countless amounts of sugary treats. In her spare time, she loved to walk up and down the lane around the acreage for multiple miles or exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike inside. She could often be found reading or watching ID murder mystery TV and there wasn't an ISU college sporting event or an Indiana Fever basketball game that she missed. She loved visiting with friends and family and tried to keep in touch and give kind words to anyone she knew near or far.
Sandy is survived by her husband Ted, son Branden (Becca) Fiala of Moorland, daughter Hannah Fiala (Tyler Griffin) of Ames, grandchildren Walker, Weston, and Rylee Fiala of Branden and Becca; mother Diana Clyde of Mitchell, SD; brother Mark (Shirley) Clyde of Norfolk, NE; brother-in-law Mark (Theresa) Fiala of Oskaloosa; sister- in-law Anne (Bruce) Kofta of Waterloo, brother-in-law Chris (Christie) Fiala of Grimes and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father Malford Clyde, father and mother-in-law Marvin and Mary Lou Fiala, and nephew Alex Fiala.
Sandy was a strong, genuine, loving, caring, and generous person. Even in sickness she fought to spend as much time as possible with her family and created many memories that her family will hold close in their hearts. She is deeply missed and we are all very thankful for the time we had with her.