Sandra Zyvoloski Olibrice

1953 - 2021

Sandra (Zyvoloski) Olibrice

A celebration of life for Sandra (Zyvoloski) Olibrice will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Little Falls, MN. Visitation will be from 10:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M prior to the service. Memorials are preferred to St. Cloud State University Women's Studies: SCSU Foundation, 720 Fourth Ave. S., St. Cloud, MN 56301. Please click the following link from our website 5 minutes prior to the start of the service: https://my.gather.app/remember/sandra-olibrice

Sandra (Sandy) Zyvoloski was born May 17, 1953 in Little Falls, MN to the late Hubert T. and Ella H. (Rebischke) Zyvoloski. Sandy was smart, caring, adventurous, and brave. A quiet hero to many. A friend to all. She had a great love for nature, especially lakes and oceans. She was an accomplished distance swimmer and scuba diver with many nighttime ocean dives to her credit. She was an excellent baker and cook. She sang karaoke. We miss her dearly. Sandy graduated from the Little Falls Community High School and St. Cloud State University. In the early 1970's, when she and her college peers were burning bras and draft cards, she also helped start a battered women's shelter in St. Cloud. In 1977, she married Mark Stone and settled in Little Falls. She worked as an activities director at the Lutheran Senior Citizens Home, as Title IX director for School District 482 (fighting for equal opportunity programming for girls). She was co-owner of a videography business and sound technician for the local Spare Parts band. When her marriage ended, she set out on a new adventure, moving to Phoenix, AZ where she co-owned a store selling local and native artwork. In 1993, she moved to Valdez, AK, to work for the state's battered women's shelter programs. She traveled by small plane to remote villages throughout Alaska as part of her work. She experienced firsthand the rugged beauty of Alaska. She also experienced the pain of the people she worked so hard to help. Sandy later moved to Anchorage, AK, where she met Phaniel Olibrice. They married in 2005. Together they shared their love for oceans, people, different cultures and travel. They later divorced but remained close friends. Sandy retired in 2017 due to health problems and moved back to Little Falls. While wintering with family in Harlingen, TX, she passed away from a heart condition.

Sandy is survived by her brothers and sisters, Jeffery of St. Cloud, MN, Ricky (June Storkamp) of Little Falls, MN, Jean (Clayton) Rindahl of Duluth, MN, Jill Sundvahl of Rollins, MT, Holly Zyvoloski of Brainerd, MN, and Hubert "Chip" (Gay Gunsbury) of Sauk Rapids, MN; and many nieces, nephews and their families.

Sandy was preceded in death by her parents, Hubert T. and Ella H. Zyvoloski; brother-in-law, Hal Sundvahl; and niece, Johanna Gutzman. Shelley Funeral Chapels 320-632-5242.