Obituary: Sandra Darlene Tester

Sandra Darlene Tester, known affectionately as "Sandy," passed away peacefully on Aug. 19, 2024, in Austin, Texas at the age of 80.

Born April 23, 1944, in Duluth, Sandy grew up in Cloquet, where she met and married her childhood sweetheart, Thomas "Tom" Tester, on Dec. 3, 1960. Shortly thereafter, their first child, Barbara, was born, followed by their second daughter, Wendy.

Sandy helped support the family as a well-regarded hairdresser until her kids were older, when she followed her dream of becoming a psychologist.

She graduated at the top of her class in both her undergraduate and then in her master's program. Sandy went on to advanced training, and was invited to and trained at the Betty Ford Foundation in California. She worked as a psychologist in Minnesota for many years at the Duluth Clinic before she and Tom moved to northwest Arkansas. There, she worked at Charter Vista Hospital and John Brown University, and then in private practice, the last 15 years at the Center for Psychology in Rogers, Arkansas.

Sandy's empathetic nature and dedication to her profession earned her the respect and trust of many throughout her career. She continued to impact lives well into her 70s.

Sandy was nominated and inducted into the Mensa Society, noting her intelligence was in the top 2 percent of the general population. In other words, she was smart.

Sandy suffered a brain injury in late 2020, which resulted in her shutting down her practice and focusing on her health. Her sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis and Jerry Gotzh, took on the task of taking care of her and keeping her safe, allowing her to live independently until April of 2024. They were her angels and her life was better because of them.

As her needs demanded more professional care, she moved to Silverado Memory Care in Austin, Texas, near her daughter, Barb, where she was loved by the staff and professionals who took amazing care of her.

Sandy is survived by her loving family, including her sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis and Jerry Gotzh; daughters, Barbara Robirds (Steve) and Wendy Newsum (Lauren); six grandchildren, Jennie Hardman (Andy), Annisha Fortune (Jeremy), Jordan Friermood (Brock), Austin Newsum (Ashley), Richard "RJ" Rowan (Alex), and Luke Rowan (Adia); and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bud and Doris Lee; her husband, Thomas Tester; and her granddaughter, Casey Newsum.

A celebration of life and lunch will begin at 1 p.m. May 10, 2025, at Buffalo House in Duluth.