Sandy Tubbs

Sandra Lynn Tubbs lived a life full of love, family, meaningful work, play, profound friendships, and a little mischief. She passed away in peace and faith on April 8, 2026 at the age of 72.

Born Dec. 27, 1953, the second of five daughters, to William and Lenore (Ole) Kaley in Chokio, MN, she grew up in the Midwestern farmlands among a close-knit family and community. Following high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, then went on to develop a long nursing career that encompassed both long-term care and acute care before finding her passion in local public health.

In September 1978, Sandy was married to Bradley Monson, who sadly died just 2 1/2 months later in a tragic vehicular collision. She then married Terry Tubbs in August 1980 and continued working in the nursing field locally while raising her family.

Sandy’s career in public health began in 1986 as a staff nurse at Stevens Traverse Public Health, where she quickly rose in rank to the position of Public Health Director. In 2001, she accepted the position of Douglas County Public Health Director, eventually becoming the Administrator for Horizon Public Health in Alexandria, MN, a five-county public health department she was instrumental in creating. This work led to local, regional and statewide administrative leadership work and earned her the high respect of co-workers and the community. Her fellow workers recognized her as an effective communicator, brilliant visionary, and compassionate colleague.

Along with her work in public health, Sandy was always seeking other opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of the community. She is credited with initiating discussions with other medical care systems serving the community to develop a county-based purchasing system now known as PrimeWest Health. A little later in her career, Sandy was also active in the development of Supporting Hands Nurse-Family Partnership, a multi-county program focused on supporting first time moms and their babies.

During the years leading up to her retirement in 2019, Sandy stayed active in the community, serving as a board member of United Way of Douglas and Pope counties, and serving on various committees devoted to improving the public health system locally and statewide. She has been recognized with numerous awards throughout her career, including the state-level Commissioner’s Award for Distinguished Service and The Jim Parker Leadership Award.

Sandy met David Robley through her work, and he quickly became the love of her life. They married in June 2018 and loved life at their Alexandria lake home, where they often entertained and enjoyed water sports, hiking, and biking.

Sandy’s love for travel began long before retirement, perhaps starting with a wild spring break trip to Daytona Beach, FL, along with a couple other carloads of friends, during her college years. She traveled frequently to Florida in later years to spend time with family and go to her happy place – the beach. In recent years, her grandkids frequently drew her to Colorado, where Sawyer, Cayson, and Harper, the joys of her life, lived with their parents. It was difficult to tell who was more eager for those visits, the grand kids or their Gigi and Grandpa Dave. Multiple other travel/hiking adventures took Sandy and Dave to Jamaica for a few weeks each winter, intermingled with travels to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, the national parks of Utah and to Banff National Park and Lake Louise in Canada.

Sandy is preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Ole Kaley, sister Rose Kaley and former husband Brad Monson. She is survived by her husband, David Robley of Alexandria, and two beloved children Lyndsay Tubbs of Arvada, CO and Tyler (Christin) Tubbs of Arvada, CO, along with her 3 grandchildren, Sawyer Lynn Tubbs, Cayson Jeffery Tubbs, and Harper Grace Tubbs.

Additional survivors include three sisters: Ann (Bob) Benson of Stillwater, MN, Barbara (Joe Staebler) Kaley of Winthrop, WA, and Mary (Tom) Bjornsen of Winthrop, WA. Also surviving her are nieces Kaley (Tyler) Johnsen of Winthrop, WA and Sadie (Jo) Maubet of Anchorage, AK, and nephew Erik (Marine) Bjornsen of Winthrop, WA.

Visitation with the family will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, 4:00 - 7:00 pm at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria, MN with a prayer service at 4:00 PM. Visitation will continue on Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 AM at St. Mary's Church in Alexandria with a Memorial service at 11:00 am. A private inurnment will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Chokio, MN.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials in Sandy’s name be made to the Douglas County Food Shelf or Hospice of Douglas County.