From the Editor:
Sandra “Sandy” Ann Greninger (Buschel)
December 29, 1958 – July 28, 2026
Sandra “Sandy” Ann Greninger, 67, of Otsego, Minnesota, passed away on July 28, 2026, surrounded by her family. Sandy was born on December 29, 1958, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to Bob and Corrine Buschel. She grew up in the Monticello, Minnesota area, where she graduated. She met her husband, Charles “Chuck” Greninger, in the fifth grade, and the two were married on August 12, 1978. After marrying, they moved to Irving, Texas. They later returned to Minnesota and settled in St. Michael, before moving to Otsego around 2018.
In Texas, Sandy worked as a surgical tech for 12 years. Their lives changed when Sandy was diagnosed with what was expected to be terminal cancer, and the family moved back to Minnesota so Chuck and Sandy could get help raising their four young children. To make ends meet, they sold their home, rented a farmhouse, and Sandy worked three jobs — one of which was with Family Youth Community Connections (FYCC).
In October 1999, Sandy began what would become a 26-year career with FYCC, serving the communities of St. Michael, Albertville, and beyond. She helped bring St. Michael and Albertville together through joint community programs, secured significant funding for at-risk youth, launched a community and senior theater program, and grew FYCC into an organization serving some 12,000 people a year — including a food pantry, suicide prevention training, and after-school and family programs. She retired from FYCC in September 2025, leaving behind a legacy she built with her own hands and a community that considered her family.
Sandy faced hardship again after Chuck died in October 2020 from complications of ALS. True to the spirit of a woman who spent her career looking for what needed fixing, the community she had served for so long rallied around her when she needed it in return. Over the course of her life, Sandy was diagnosed with and beat three separate cancers — including breast cancer as a young mother, a lung cancer diagnosis in November 2023, and cholangiocarcinoma in 2026 — a testament to her strength and fight. She passed away following complications from an invasive surgery to remove her third cancer.
More than anything, Sandy loved her family. She adored spending time with her children and especially her grandchildren, and she loved fishing, traveling, crocheting, playing cards, cooking, bowling, and helping anyone she could. She was a member of St. Albert’s Catholic Church (formerly a member of St. Michael Catholic Church). One of her favorite sayings, one she was known to sign off with, was simply, “Be Good.”
Sandy is survived by her children, Chelsea (Bray) Wheeler, Lacy Greninger, Max (Ashley) Greninger, and Bob (Jessica) Shoup; her grandchildren, Landon, Decatur, Em, Jaxson, Connor, Cullen, JoJo, Aayla, and Teddy; her siblings, Nancy (John) Zavaleta, Roberta (“Berta”) Shoup, Michael (“Sac”) Buschel, and Barry (Lori) Buschel; and her dog, Lily. She is also survived by her in-laws Diane Nagel, Russell (Sheila) Greninger, Neil Greninger, Tim (Deanna) Greninger, Joan (Tom) Gindele, Gene Greninger, Kris (Paul) Brandjord, and Matt (Cathy) Greninger, as well as many beloved aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles (“Chuck”) Greninger; her parents, Robert and Corrine (Steffens) Buschel; her grandparents; her parents-in-law, Donald and Phyllis Greninger; her brother-in-law, Leo Greninger; sister-in-laws Ingrid Manro and Marge Greninger, Molly the DA; and several aunts and uncles.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Sandy will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11th at Saint Henry’s Catholic Church, 1001 East 7th Street, in Monticello, MN. Father Joe Zabinski will be the Celebrant. Interment will follow at St. Albert’s Cemetery, 11997 Lymon Avenue N.E., in Albertville, MN.
A Visitation will be held Monday, August 10th from 5-8:00 p.m. at The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home, 300 North Main Street, in St. Michael, MN.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to FYCC (Family Youth Community Connections) and the STMA Food Pantry (stmafoodpantry.org).
Obituary courtesy of Peterson Chapel