Sandra Irene Carlton (Van Kempen) was born May 23rd, 1956, in the desert of China Lake, California to Ted and Dorothy Van Kempen. Inspired by her surroundings, she was affectionately known as Sandi. Oldest of five children, Sandi spent her youth terrorizing the good people of Aberdeen, South Dakota and then Bloomington, Minnesota. In 2020, she moved to Farmington. Despite spending much of her life battling several autoimmune diseases, Sandi was a positive person, proud of the life she had created for herself.

Sandi was a proud Gemini who loved nothing more than meeting a fellow Gemini in the wild. And by wild we mean Starbucks or the pharmacy or the Target drive up. She loved to travel by way of television shows. She watched all the Turkish TV available to her before moving on to consuming every Korean drama on Netflix. When she needed a break from reading subtitles she'd make the switch to all things true crime, paranormal, or polygamist. She never met a plural marriage that she wasn't fully invested in. Sandi was a proud extrovert and made friends everywhere. She lived by the idea that there were no strangers, just friends she hadn't met yet. Her pet peeves were few but included overhead lighting, breakfast meat, and unkind people.

Sandi was a proud employee of the City of Bloomington and retired from the city attorney's office where she worked as an administrative assistant in 2020. She will be best remembered for her strong work ethic, witty sense of humor, and that one time she accidentally wore two different shoes to work.

Sandi's greatest pride was us, her two daughters, who she loved slightly more than her beloved dog, Murphy, and slightly less than her seven grandchildren. She was a devoted mother and Oma. You want sugared cereal? How many boxes? School fundraiser? Sign me up. Sporting event, concert? What time? As her health declined and getting out was more difficult, she started watching baseball games streaming on her phone. There was never a single moment in time that we didn't know she was here for us. She taught us the importance of family and high quality skin care. She modeled how to find laughter and joy even when life was hard. She did not teach us how to cook. She couldn't be brilliant at everything.

Sandi is preceded in death by her father, Ted Van Kempen, and her dog, Murphy. Both of whom we are certain she is thrilled to be reunited with. Sandi is survived by her mother, Dorothy, and siblings Ted (Colleen), Pam (Bob) Rowbotham, Vickie, and Joel (Genet). She leaves behind nieces and nephews who she adored. She leaves behind her best friends to rehash all the entertaining stories of her youth. She also leaves behind her daughters and their families: Melissa, Jeff, Owen, Ava and Theo Hall; Molly, Daunte, Daunte, Dayveon, Donovan and Damita Hill. Yes, our married names are Hall and Hill. She loved that and probably mentioned it to you several times. Sandi was a firm believer in the afterlife and we imagine any day now she'll start turning on the lights and the tv just to mess with us.

We would love for you to celebrate her life with us on Friday, April 17th at White Funeral Home in Lakeville, Minnesota. Visitation begins at 1:00, memorial service at 2:00. Sandi loved to help people and animals alike. If you feel called to, please make a donation to the Animal Humane Society or your local food shelf in her honor. She will be dearly missed but she leaves behind a legacy of love and laughter-a light that cannot be dimmed.